


Financial Aid

by JWade



Series: Financial Aid [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, M/M, Tear Rating: 10/10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-11 00:03:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 47,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12923007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JWade/pseuds/JWade
Summary: When two high school seniors meet in the library with a mutual problem, kicked out of the house and no way to file for financial aid for college, they decide to take the obvious course of action. Get married.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I'm playing in AU again :)

Sam, feeling rather dejected, but determined stepped into the public library and over to the college prep section, fully intending to find a solution to his problem. He stopped short at the sight of someone already sitting there though, both hands tightly gripping his sandy blonde hair like he was getting ready to pull it out and with a look on his face of complete and utter defeat. To top things off, he was wearing one of the uniforms of the local prep school. The kids who always thought they were better than everyone else, and especially too good for the public library. Needless to say, he was rather confused, and he hated being confused so he walked over and sat down next to him. “You okay?”

“Oh, other than my life being over, I’m peachy thanks,” the guy said sadly. 

“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Sam tried to cheer him up. 

“It’s that bad,” the guy said sadly. “Did you know that there is no way at all to get financial aid without your parent’s information unless you are either emancipated or part of the foster system?”

“I…No. I didn’t,” Sam said, now feeling just as defeated as this guy. “You’re sure?” He saw the spread of books around him and figured he must have researched the same thing that he’d come here to do. 

“Oh yes. I’ve checked every option. Loans require a parent to co-sign unless you’re over 21. The only other way to apply for financial aid alone is to be either 24 or married. I’m already 18 so emancipation isn’t an option, nor is getting my parents to put me in the foster system, so basically, I can’t go to college. Well not a good one anyway. I could maybe pull off a community college if I’m lucky, but honestly. What kind of future is that?”

Sam fought against the melancholy threatening to overwhelm him at that and decided he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “There has to be another way somewhere. We just have to find it,” Sam said firmly. 

“You don’t have to help me,” the boy said. 

“I’m helping myself too. I’m in the same boat and came here to research the same thing,” Sam told him. “We can help each other.”

“Your parents won’t help you either?” he asked curiously. 

“Nope. Dad wants me to go into the family business and will throw any roadblock he can find in my way. The argument we had when I told him I was going to find a way to go to college anyway had him kicking me out of the house, despite the fact that there’s still two months of high school left.”

“Where are you staying?” 

“No idea yet. I figure someone will let me crash on their couch until college starts. At least I hope so. The important thing is to find a way to get there first,” Sam said with a shrug. 

“I know how you feel. My dad kicked me out too. I made the mistake of coming out to him and my brothers and let’s just say, I came straight here once I was released from the hospital.”

“That sucks. Too bad you didn’t wait until after you got into college,” Sam said trying to be sympathetic. 

“Yeah. Believe me, I’m kicking myself over that one too. If I had realized I was so dependent on him for it, I wouldn’t have said a word until graduation day.”

“Well, let’s hit the books and find a way around our mutual problem,” Sam said, not sure what else to say to that. 

By the time the library was closing up, even Sam had to admit there wasn’t really another option until he heard the preppy boy say, “We should get married.”

“Waitwhat?!” Sam asked spinning to look at him, wide-eyed. 

“I’m not saying we actually have to BE married, if you get my drift. Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I’m trying to get you into bed,” he said quickly. “I just mean so we can file for financial aid as a married couple and still manage to go to school. It’s the only way out I can see for either of us.”

“But…we can’t. It’s not legal,” Sam said confused, not actually saying no. At this point he didn’t think he could afford to turn down any option out of hand. 

“Not here, but it is in California. We could drive out there next weekend, get married and be back for school on Monday,” he suggested. 

“I…I don’t…I mean…Can I think about it for a while?” Sam stammered. 

“Yeah, sure. We still have almost a month before the forms have to be in, so yeah. Take your time,” he said with a shrug. 

“Well if I’m going to be considering marrying you, I think I should know your name,” Sam said amusedly. 

“Right. Sorry. Gabriel,” he said holding out his hand to shake. 

“Sam,” he replied, taking the offered hand. 

“Well what do you say we get started getting to know each other? I was gonna go grab a hotel for the night. We could get a double and see if we might manage to survive without killing each other?” Gabriel suggested. 

“I don’t know…” Sam said nervously. Sharing a hotel with some stranger didn’t sound like the best idea to him. 

“I meant what I said you know. I’m not trying to get in your pants or anything. I just figured you don’t know where you’re staying yet, so I could be nice and share. It’s not like it costs more for a double than it does for a single.”

“Yeah. Okay then. We’ll give it a shot,” Sam agreed, deciding that if it came to it, he could easily take out a little pipsqueak like him and he could figure something else out tomorrow if it didn’t work out. 

Sam’s eyes widened as he saw Gabriel’s car, a cherry red BMW i3, and he got in very gingerly. “You know, you could probably pay your tuition if you sold this car,” Sam said hesitantly. 

“Nah. Already looked into that. It’s a couple years old. The one I got for my 16th birthday, so I wouldn’t be able to get more than 15k for it. Especially with the number of miles it’s got on it. That’s maybe half of the first semester tuition,” Gabriel told him, not taking offense at the thought. “I do plan on selling it though, and getting something a little more practical. I figure I’ll use the extra to do some apartment hunting. My savings isn’t going to get me far if I’m staying in hotels until college.”

“That makes sense,” Sam said. He’d been a little worried that Gabriel was a little too stuck up to part with such a nice car, but that explanation made him feel a little better about that. 

“I’m just glad that I waited until I was already 18 so they couldn’t take my trust fund away too. Of course, that’s why I waited until I was 18. Just in case.”

“If you have a trust fund, why do you need financial aid?” Sam asked confused. 

“Until I graduate I only get three thousand a month to live on from the trust fund. The way it’s supposed to work in my family is the parents pay tuition and I would pay for my own room and board in order to learn how to manage my money. I don’t get access to the full amount until I graduate, unfortunately. I turned 18 last month so I got my first payment a few weeks ago, and still have a lot of it left, but not enough to pay first month and deposit, get utilities hooked up, and furnish an apartment, hence selling the car.”

“That makes sense,” Sam agreed. 

“Just putting it out there, I could easily afford a 2-bedroom apartment instead of just one,” Gabriel told him. 

“Let’s just see what kind of job I can get before we start making any plans,” Sam told him. Now that he wasn’t working at his dad’s shop anymore, he needed to start job hunting too. 

“Long as you know it’s not necessary. Even if you don’t decide to go through with the wedding thing, I’d be perfectly fine taking care of the rent and bills and stuff as long as you’re not a total slob and help out around the place,” Gabriel told him. “It’s not like I have to work for the money.” He could definitely relate to ending up homeless while trying to finish high school and he didn’t know if he could manage to juggle a job and still keep his grades up, so he wasn’t going to ask Sam to do the same. Not when it would add so little to his total budget. 

“I’ll think about it,” Sam told him. This was an offer for a roommate. It was a lot easier to decide than getting married. He would see how well they could get along until the time for apartment hunting came and then figure it out. Either way, Gabriel would have total pick of the apartment. If he wasn’t contributing, he wouldn’t put in his two cents. 

They pulled into what to Sam was a highbrow hotel, but Gabriel informed him was ‘only three stars’. It was still more than the cheap rat-infested motels that Sam had always stayed in the few times his dad had taken him somewhere though, but he refrained from saying anything. Sam had been entranced by the lobby area while Gabriel was checking in so when he got to the room, Gabriel told him, “I booked us for a week. I figure tomorrow I’ll start trying to sell my car and do some apartment hunting since it’s a Saturday, and hopefully we’ll be able to get in somewhere by next weekend.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Sam said as he watched Gabriel pull out his school books and plop down on his stomach on the bed to get started on his homework, so Sam decided to do the same, except at the desk. He had no idea how the smaller boy managed to get anything done in such a position, but judging from the way his feet were swinging comfortably as he pulled out a lollipop and popped it in his mouth as he got to work, it was apparently a rather familiar position for him.


	2. Chapter 2

The night had gone well. The two boys had spent a few hours working on homework, and then a little conversation before bed. At least their bathroom habits lined up well too with Sam preferring to shower before bed and Gabriel in the mornings, so there were no arguments there and both were surprised at how well they’d gotten along, being from different sides of the tracks and all. Neither mentioned their families much, but that was to be expected. 

Sam was the first one up the next morning and did his best to be quiet as he moved around the hotel room getting dressed and heading out to the continental breakfast. He wasn’t sure how long Gabriel would be asleep, so he found a table down there and parked it with his book to eat. He managed to kill about an hour, before he made up a plate with a little bit of everything and took it upstairs to Gabriel. Now that it was lighter outside, he could read in the room without turning on a light and waking Gabriel up. 

There had been no need to worry though. Gabriel was already awake when he got up there, but it didn’t look like he had been for long. The blonde boy was puttering around the room with his shirt off and hair standing up all over the place while simultaneously wiping the sleep from his eyes and getting his stuff ready for his shower. “I brought you some breakfast, in case you missed it. I wasn’t sure what you liked so I got a little of everything.”

“Thanks, Sam,” Gabriel told him sleepily as he grabbed a powdered doughnut off the plate and popped it in his mouth. “I’ll dig in after my shower. Don’t suppose you brought any coffee too?” he asked hopefully. 

Sam just held up a drink carrier in response, and Gabriel grabbed the nearest one, and downed half of it in one go. “Good thing I let it cool off a bit before bringing it up here,” Sam joked. 

Gabriel just laughed. “Yeah. Always a good idea to wait until it’s drinkable before handing me a coffee. That’s why I usually get ice coffee when I go out somewhere, just so I don’t have to wait.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sam said with a chuckle of his own as Gabriel made his way to the shower and Sam plopped down with his book. 

About twenty minutes later, Gabriel came out of the bathroom looking far more human and plopped down on the chair opposite Sam. “Whatcha reading? School or fun?” 

Sam held up the book so Gabriel could see the title as he said, “Fun.”

“Atlas Shrugged huh? I liked that one, but not nearly as much as The Fountainhead. I would say it’s my third favorite of her books.”

“You’re an Ayn Rand fan?” Sam asked incredulously. As a rich kid, he wouldn’t have pegged that at all. “What’s your second favorite?”

“Anthem,” Gabriel told him. 

“You liked Anthem?” Sam asked wrinkling his nose. 

“Hey, just because it’s short doesn’t mean it’s not great. Look at me,” he joked. 

“Still. I didn’t really get the point of that one, despite it being short,” Sam told him and that started a philosophical discussion about objectivism in general and different Ayn Rand books specifically. 

After about an hour, Gabriel stopped him and said, “Hold that thought a sec. Gotta make a quick call.” He grabbed the phone and called the newspaper before they went too far down the rabbit hole. “Yes, I need to take out an add in tomorrow’s newspaper…selling a car…1998 BMW i3 14,000 miles perfect condition, $15,000 or best offer.” He went on to give her his cell phone number and credit card information to pay for the add before he hung up the phone and turned back to Sam to continue their discussion. 

Gabriel ordered them pizza for lunch with the leftovers for dinner and after dinner, they both pulled out their homework for a few more hours until Gabriel threw down his pencil with a frustrated growl. “What’s wrong?” Sam asked. 

“Just having trouble getting this stupid stuff down,” Gabriel said in annoyance. 

“What are you working on? Maybe I could help,” Sam offered. 

“Pre-calculus,” Gabriel told him. “I just can’t figure out how to use normal distributions to approximate binomial distributions.”

“Oh, I can help with that. Scooch over,” Sam said sitting next to him on the bed before walking him through the first few problems of his homework step by step before Gabriel had it figured out. 

“Thanks!” Gabriel told him as Sam went back to his own homework. 

“Math is my best subject, so I’m always glad to help out,” Sam told him. 

“Well literature is mine so feel free to ask if you need any help with that one. I’m also pretty great at history.”

“Thanks. I’m pretty good in literature, but someone to debate with about it always comes in handy. I’m pretty crappy with history though so I’ll probably take you up on that one sometime,” Sam told him as they both got back to their own homework. 

Sam finished his first, and pulled out his book to read some more rather than disturbing Gabriel by turning the tv on, but once Gabriel finished his an hour later they settled down to watch a movie before bed. 

The next morning was basically a repeat of the first. Sam went downstairs for breakfast, letting Gabriel sleep until it was light outside. As he walked in the door he handed Gabriel the now cool coffee without a word and watched him down half of it before heading in for his shower and Sam set the plate of food on the desk for when he got out. He had figured out Gabriel’s favorites the day before, so it was easier this time. He had also brought the Sunday newspaper up, figuring they could look for apartments in it. He was pretty much decided on the roommate thing after how well they seemed to get along. 

Sam started going through, looking for two-bedroom apartments in the area and circling them while Gabriel was in the shower, so he would have less to go through when he got out. He wasn’t ruling any in or out, just weeding out the ones that would be too small, too large, or too far away. By the time Gabriel emerged from the bathroom, once again looking human and sipping the rest of his coffee, Sam had finished going through the apartment listings, and Gabriel was quick to thank him. “I’m guessing by the fact that you circled the two bedroom apartments, you’re good with being roommates?” 

“Yeah. Assuming the offer is still open, of course,” Sam said. 

“Course it is,” Gabriel said as his eyes scanned the listings while he ate. He crossed out some of them as he went. Three in buildings his family owned, two that were too close to their mansion, and one that was right next to his school but pretty far from Sam’s which would be rather inconvenient for the other boy, especially since he didn’t have a car. That left them with four to choose from. “Want to go check these out today?” he asked. 

“Sure, why not,” Sam told him and after breakfast, Gabriel started making calls and they headed out. The first one they looked at was quickly scratched off the list, mainly because the landlady kept looking at them like they were delinquents and reiterating that there were ‘no parties or loud music or drugs allowed’. She just rubbed them both the wrong way. The second was a definite possibility though. The landlord seemed nice and easy-going, not making any assumptions one way or the other about them. Not outwardly anyway. The apartment wasn’t the best though. It did have two bedrooms, but it was rather cramped, and the bedrooms were small. It wasn’t until the third that they basically fell in love. It was very roomy, and furnished which was a bonus, even if it did cost more per month. The only real downside was that the upkeep wasn’t the best and the walls were a very ugly orange color, but since they would only be there for a few months at most, neither of them were particularly picky about that. The still checked out the last one anyway, but it was even smaller than the second so they went back to the ugly orange one and put down the deposit with the first month being due when they moved in next weekend. By then, with any luck, Gabriel would have sold his car, otherwise they would be roughing it for a while. He could pull off the rent, but they wouldn’t be able to get any utilities and very few groceries until his next trust fund payment came in. 

It was nearly dinnertime by the time they finished with all the paperwork. Sam had insisted that the lease only be in Gabriel’s name. Since he wasn’t going to be paying rent, at least until the summer, Gabriel should have all the rights associated with the apartment. Gabriel just shrugged. He didn’t really care either way, but did point out that it would be his ass if Sam trashed anything, so warned him not to go nuts. He had gotten to know the taller boy enough in the last couple days to know it wasn’t likely, but it needed to be said anyway. They stopped by a small café for dinner before heading back to their hotel. Gabriel had gotten two calls about the car over the course of the day, but they were only offering six thousand and eight thousand, so he told them he would get back to them. He would take it if he had to, but he really hoped to avoid taking half or less than his asking price. Since they both had their homework for the weekend done by then, they spent the rest of the evening with a movie marathon.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Gabriel offered to drop Sam off at school on his way in to his own which the taller boy gladly accepted. He was used to taking the bus, but the bus would have no way of knowing about his change of address, so his only other option had been to walk, so it was nice of Gabriel to offer. When Sam offered to put in the change to the bus route though, Gabriel told him not to bother. From both the hotel and their new apartment, Sam’s school was on the way to Gabriel’s, so it was no trouble to drop him off. He did let him change it for after school though given the various after-school activities they were both involved in making schedules a little tricky, but only after they moved into the apartment. They would find a way to make it work this week. Gabriel pointed out the ridiculousness of changing it to drop him at a hotel just to change it again a week later. 

By Wednesday, Gabriel had what he suspected would be the best offer he would get for his car which was thirteen thousand, so he took it, meeting the guy at the DMV after school on Thursday, skipping his history club meeting to get everything transferred over before taking a cab to a used car lot and driving off with a ten-year-old Camaro that only costed him three thousand. It was just in time too. He was supposed to stop by the apartment tomorrow to drop off the first month’s rent and he spent most of the remainder of the afternoon making calls to get the utilities hooked up. He had to pay a little extra to get them hooked up on a Saturday, but it was cheaper than a few more nights in the hotel to get them hooked up on Monday, so he bit the bullet. The electricity would be on by noon, and the cable/internet/phone guy would be there between three and five. Gabriel figured they could spend the morning shopping for televisions, computers, and phones to hook up. 

Sam greatly protested Gabriel’s intention to buy him a computer, but the shorter boy quickly pointed out that he could hardly go to college without a computer, not to mention it would make finishing high school pretty difficult too. Sam, in return, pointed out that was what computer labs were for and it wasn’t like he’d ever had a computer at home. Finally, Gabriel won the argument by calling it a combined birthday/wedding if they had one/Christmas gift and Sam finally stopped arguing about it. Sam did draw the line at putting a television in his room though. He told Gabriel he didn’t usually watch tv in his room and had no intention of changing that. He left out the fact that he had never had a tv in his room TO watch, so they only bought two televisions. One big one for the living room and a smaller one for Gabriel’s bedroom. 

By the time they got back from the electronics shopping just before lunchtime, the electricity was on, so they took a little while to get everything hooked up, including the surround sound, VCR, and DVD players that Gabriel bought. The DVD players were so new there weren’t a lot of movies out for them yet, hence the VCR as well. Once everything was hooked up and ready for the cable/internet/phone guys to come they still had a few hours to kill so they headed out for a quick lunch and to do some grocery shopping. It ended up taking far longer than they expected though due to the need to buy everything, including dishes, towels, pots and pans, and cleaning supplies, so they made it back a little late. Thankfully it seemed that their appointment would be at the later end of the 3-5 window since they hadn’t missed it. 

They were still putting away the groceries when the guys arrived, and Gabriel took a break to show them where everything would be hooked up. By the time all that was done, both boys were exhausted, and made their way to their rooms to collapse early. They were suddenly very glad that the apartment came furnished and they didn’t have anything more than a bag each to move in with them. Who knew it could be so exhausting?

Sam decided to give it at least a week of living in an apartment together before deciding on the whole marriage thing. He would like to give it longer, but they didn’t have that much time. It was Wednesday before something happened that pretty much decided him. He spotted Gabriel pulling out a Stanford banner to put in his room. “You want to go to Stanford?” Sam asked shocked. 

“Yep. My whole family was Notre Dame, so I’ve always wanted to go there just to spite them,” Gabriel told him with a grin. 

“That’s my top choice too,” Sam told him.

“Well that works out perfectly. Now we just need to get us both there,” Gabriel said, as close as he would come to bringing up the whole marriage idea after Sam said he needed time to think about it. Even if it was his last chance, he wasn’t going to be pushy. That would just be more likely to lose him the chance. He would just deal with the on-edge jitters that had been driving him nuts since he came up with the idea. 

Sunday came around, and with it, Sam’s deadline he had set for himself to make a decision, but damned if the very idea wasn’t terrifying as hell. He wasn’t even sure what his own sexual orientation was. Sure, he was somewhat attracted to guys, but he was more attracted to girls. He didn’t know if that made him bi or just curious or what, but Gabriel had said that it wouldn’t mean anything. It would just be a piece of paper that would let them go to school. He waited until they were sitting down to dinner to bring it up. “So, I’ve been thinking about your whole getting married idea…” He trailed off, just to make sure that Gabriel wasn’t going to take it back. 

Gabriel felt his palms get all sweaty and he was surprised that he didn’t drop his fork. He kept his face carefully schooled though to avoid showing his nerves. He hadn’t thought he would be this nervous over a fake proposal, but he should have expected it. This was more than getting married with the option of divorce once they were done with school. This was his ticket to the rest of his life and it was currently in Sam’s hands. A boy he’d known for all of two weeks. “And?” Gabriel asked when he saw that more wasn’t forthcoming. 

“I think it really is our only option, and I’m not about to let my father win, so yes. Let’s get married,” Sam said quickly all in one breath. 

Gabriel let out the breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding as he said, “Great! Let’s leave after classes on Friday. If we change out driving and don’t stop, we should cross the California border by Saturday afternoon. I’ll make arrangements for a justice of the peace since the courthouse will be closed and file for all the papers online and we’ll start heading back Saturday night and we should be home in time for bed before school on Monday.” Gabriel had spent a lot of time thinking about this. 

“We wouldn’t have to tell the school or anyone would we?” Sam asked suddenly very nervous about that idea. 

“Not unless you plan to change your name, I wouldn’t think,” Gabriel told him. “Stanford would have to know, but we won’t even have to tell the students there. As far as they’d be concerned, we’re just roommates.”

“Yeah, not changing my name,” Sam said quickly. 

Gabriel wouldn’t mind changing his name, but just because he hated his name and his family, but taking Sam’s name would make this whole thing more real. Too real, so he wasn’t going to change his name either. “Good. Then it’s decided,” Gabriel said with a note of finality before thinking of something else he should probably make sure Sam realized before the time came. “Just remember we are going to have to kiss once at the ceremony.” Sam’s eyes widened at that. He should have known that really, but hadn’t gotten so far as to consider it, and he wasn’t sure at all how he felt about that. “It just has to be one little kiss, and I promise I won’t push things,” Gabriel added, thinking that Sam was uncomfortable with him being gay and worried about what he would do. 

Sam put him at ease on that one though. “No, I’m not worried about that. I just…I’ve never kissed a guy before.” He really wasn’t worried about that either. Gabriel had been nothing but a gentleman since they’d moved in together. He hadn’t caught him trying to sneak a peek or even looking at him lustfully or anything like that, so he didn’t mind the whole gay thing. Hell, for all he knew he might be at least part gay himself. 

“Don’t feel bad. Neither have I,” Gabriel told him with a lopsided smile. 

“You haven’t? But you said…”

“I am. I’ve just never acted on it. I’ve never dared. My family has eyes everywhere, so until a few weeks ago it would have been stupid, and now there’s not much point since we’ll be going off to college in a few months.”

“Maybe we should practice before the wedding then,” Sam said before snapping his mouth closed. How the hell had that come out? 

It was Gabriel’s turn to go wide-eyed. Was he serious? “Are you serious?” 

“I…I don’t know. I just…maybe it wouldn’t be the best idea to have both of our first kiss in front of a justice of the peace at our wedding is all I was thinking,” Sam said with a shrug, blushing bright red. “Never mind. It was a stupid idea,” he added quickly. 

“No, I don’t think it was stupid. I mean, if you wanted to, it might help,” Gabriel said with his own blush. 

“I…yeah…it might,” Sam stammered and then was caught off guard when Gabriel leaned over the table and pressed his lips to Sam’s. It was quick and chaste, barely more than a peck, and increased the redness in both of their faces exponentially. “I-I…y-yeah…okay,” Sam stammered even worse. 

“Was that okay?” Gabriel asked worriedly. 

“Yeah,” Sam said quickly. “Fine.” He had his answer to his own question now. He still didn’t think he was gay, but he enjoyed that far too much to be anything but bi. 

“Good,” Gabriel said just as quickly, turning back to his dinner and the rest of the meal passed in an awkward silence.


	4. Chapter 4

Three days after that and the two of them had barely even looked at each other or said a word to each other and Gabriel had enough. Their wedding was in three more days, and they would have to get through it somehow. He wasn’t about to let this derail things. When he got home from his science club meeting, Sam got up like he was going to head to his room, but Gabriel stopped him with a firm, “Sam.” Sam stopped and turned to look at him, looking very much like a deer caught in the headlights. “We need to get over this already. So, we had one little practice kiss for the big day. No big deal. Nothing’s changed.”

“Y-yeah. I guess you’re right,” Sam said hesitantly. There was no need for Gabriel to know that it had changed everything for him. That it had proven something to him that he’d spent so long denying about himself. 

“So, relax and come watch a movie with me already,” Gabriel said plopping down on the couch and putting his feet up on the table. 

“Right. Yeah. Okay,” Sam said, sitting gingerly on the other end of the couch, ignoring Gabriel’s eye roll. As Gabriel had hoped though, by the end of the evening, they were both much more relaxed in each other’s presence and were even joking with each other again by the end of the movie. 

When Friday rolled around, Sam was a basket case, and had more than a few people question him on it during the day. Sam just brushed them all off with lame excuses though, not even caring that they didn’t buy them. By the time Gabriel picked him up after school, he was practically vibrating from nerves. “Geez Sammich. Take a chill pill. If you’re gonna be like this the whole trip it’s not gonna be much fun,” Gabriel joked trying to lighten the mood and it did pull a strained laugh from Sam. 

“How are you so calm?” Sam asked incredulously. “We’re about to get married.”

“Yeah. On paper. It’s not like a real marriage or anything,” Gabriel pointed out. If it were, he would probably be just as nervous as Sam. No, if it were, he would never consider going through with it to begin with. For Sam though, combined with what he’d now figured out about himself, it felt a little more real than just on paper. It felt like him coming out to the whole world, and it scared the hell out of him. He wasn’t even ready to go there yet, but he didn’t have much choice in the matter. “Here, you want a Xanax?” Gabriel offered, reaching behind him and handing Sam a small toiletry bag. 

“Nah. I think I’m okay,” Sam told him, willing himself to relax before Gabriel shoved a Xanax down his throat in annoyance. Not that he actually thought Gabriel would do it, but he was sure the temptation would be there soon enough. 

“Okay. If you’re sure. But there’s Nyquil in there too if you don’t want the hard stuff and just wanna pass out for a while,” Gabriel offered. He had planned to drive until early morning anyway and have Sam take over for the last bit. 

“I might in a little while,” Sam told him. Nyquil was far more his speed, but he didn’t really want to go to sleep at 3:30 in the afternoon. 

That settled, Gabriel pulled out his cell phone as they got on the interstate and called to confirm their appointment with the justice of the peace and make sure he had picked up the paperwork for them as agreed…for an extra fee of course. Thankfully, his wife was a notary. Since they hadn’t picked it up in person, they would have to have it notarized to be legal. Another extra fee. Nothing exorbitant though. All in all, including filing fees, the wedding was only running him about five hundred dollars, including the out of state fee, so it wasn’t bad. Of course, that wasn’t counting the rings that he’d paid a hundred dollars each for, and he’d already checked and the cost for an uncontested divorce would be about half that, so overall, he was paying less than a thousand dollars to be able to get financial aid and go to school. It was more than worth it, and the fact that it helped Sam too was just a bonus. 

They kept up light conversation, initiated by Gabriel to keep Sam level, for a few hours before Sam gave in and took the Nyquil, putting his seat back and going to sleep. Gabriel caught his eyes raking over the tall boy’s muscular form before he tore them away. He refused to let himself be attracted to Sam. That was the only way he was going to get through this without freaking out himself. He had been doing so good on that, and wasn’t about to fail now. Not at the eleventh hour. No. Eyes on the road. Sam is just a random straight guy doing him a favor. That’s all. It wasn’t like they’d never slept in the same room before, after all. He ignored the thought that there were no heavy blankets in the way now, and he was far closer than across the room. That thought got even harder to ignore as Sam’s morning wood started causing his jeans to bulge, but Gabriel stayed firm, forcing his eyes back to the road every time they started to stray. It wasn’t like he would be ready to do anything about it anyway, even if they were together. Hell, he’d just had his first kiss less than a week ago. 

By the time Sam woke up around three in the morning, Gabriel was very on edge and tired. Thankfully, Sam just noticed the tired and offered to take over the rest of the way. They were about halfway through the trip anyway. It was his turn. Gabriel pulled over and they switched seats, Gabriel popping a Xanax and a long swig of the Nyquil before leaning back and passing out, and then it was Sam’s turn to try not to look too. He was also more entranced than he wanted to be by the bulge in Gabriel’s jeans as he slept, and he tried not to wonder if Gabriel had noticed his own and what he thought if he did. He managed to make it until sunup before he pulled into a gas station for a bathroom break, glad that he had the excuse that they were low on gas too. 

Gabriel was out like a light though and didn’t even stir when they pulled in, so Sam grabbed some money from his wallet that Gabriel had given him just in case this situation came up. First though, he needed to hit the bathroom…for more than one reason. Once he was locked inside, he pulled out his half hard cock and started stroking it, resisting the urge to make a sound. He wondered if Gabriel had done the same thing when they stopped earlier and that was enough to bring him fully hard as he quickly stroked himself to completion, breathing heavily and trying to will the blush from his cheeks when he was done. He couldn’t believe that he had just done that. Once he finished the main reason for the bathroom stop, he filled up the gas tank and got back on the road. 

It was noon before Gabriel started to stir awake, and Sam didn’t even have to be asked to pull into the nearest McDonalds for a large ice coffee. He was familiar enough with Gabriel’s habits by now to know not to speak before he had coffee in his system. They also grabbed a few burgers and some fries to eat on the way. Once Gabriel was feeling mostly human again, he asked if Sam wanted him to take over driving the last bit, but Sam said he was good, so Gabriel gave him directions to the justice of the peace’s house, which was where they were doing the ceremony. That reminder just served to get Sam all jittery again, and Gabriel couldn’t help but sigh. At least the trip was almost over and being nervous when you’re getting married wasn’t exactly anything new.


	5. Chapter 5

As they pulled up to the house, Gabriel finally felt his own nerves starting to kick in and he took a few deep breaths to steady himself before he opened the door, only to realize that Sam wasn’t moving at all. “Sam?” 

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Sam said with shallow breaths. 

Gabriel closed his eyes and willed his own nerves away as he reached over and took Sam’s hand. “You don’t have to,” he said, ignoring the part of him that wanted to rage at Sam and tell him to get his ass in there and marry him before he destroyed both their lives. “But just remember, if you don’t, your father wins. And so does mine.”

Sam took a few shaky breaths as he turned his hand over and squeezed Gabriel’s. “Right. Yeah. Okay. Just on paper,” he repeated to himself like a mantra. “I can do this. I can.” His breathing slowly got steadier until he opened his eyes and looked over at Gabriel. “Okay. Let’s do this.” He was still terrified, but he could think through it now. It was one thing ruining his own life by walking away, but he couldn’t do that to Gabriel too. Not after they’d come so far. He would get through this. 

This time when Gabriel went to get out of the car, Sam followed him, his hand finding his soon to be husband’s again for moral support and Gabriel knocked on the door. “Sam and Gabriel?” the old man asked as he answered. When they nodded he let them in. “Okay, so you said on the phone that you just wanted the traditional non-denominational vows. Is that still the case?” he asked. Both of them nodded again and he chuckled a bit. “Nervous?” he asked. 

“Just a little,” Gabriel said with a nervous smile, still gripping Sam’s hand tightly. 

“Well there’s nothing to worry about. We have the witnesses all lined up like you asked and the paperwork is ready to go. You boys just have to say your I dos. You ready to get started or do you need a minute?” 

“I’m ready,” Sam said quickly. 

Gabriel had been intending to change them both into something nicer, but he wasn’t about to risk Sam changing his mind after all that so he just nodded as well and the old man ushered them into the next room. Gabriel had asked for no pageantry. No music or speeches or anything but the vows, the kiss and done, so they were led right up to the altar, with each of them nodding at the two people they assumed were the witnesses, plus the man’s wife who would notarize everything, and the ceremony began. “We are gathered here today to join Sam Winchester and Gabriel Shurley in holy matrimony. Please repeat after me,” he looked to Sam first. “I Sam, take you Gabriel, to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not yet know, I will respect your integrity and have faith in your abiding love for me, through all our years, and in all that life may bring us. Gabriel, I take you as my husband, with your faults and your strengths, as I offer myself to you with my faults and my strengths. I will help you when you need help, and turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life." Sam managed to get through it, only stumbling a few times and having to pause twice to take a deep breath and re-center himself, but he made it. 

Gabriel did much the same, when it was his turn to repeat it. He stumbled the most over the word loving, that not being a word that was actually uttered in his family, but he too managed to get through it. The exchange of the rings also went smoothly with two almost whispered, “With this ring, I thee wed.” When the phrase came, “You may kiss your husband,” it wasn’t that different than it had been at the dinner table. It was short, chaste, and awkward, but sweet and nice at the same time. They got the paperwork signed and notarized before the man turned to them and asked, “Okay so why are you boys doing this? Are you sure you want me to send this in?” 

“Yes!” Gabriel said quickly before he reigned himself in. “What do you mean why? We l-love each other.”

“Oh, come on son. I’m old, not blind. That was no kiss between lovers. Believe me I’ve seen my fair share. It’s not going to stop me from making this legal if that’s what you want, but you must forgive an old man his curiosity.”

“Our families disowned us, and it’s the only way we can get financial aid for college,” Sam gave in and told him. As long as it would still be legal, he didn’t care if anyone knew. 

“I see. Well that’s as good a reason as any to get married I suppose. As long as you two know what you’re doing, that’s good enough for me. I’ll get this filed first thing Monday morning. Give it 24 hours to be processed and you’ll be all set.” Gabriel just gaped at him for a second. He had expected a lecture about the sanctity of marriage and how this was a perversion of what was supposed to be a loving joining or something. Not an easy acceptance of their reasons and an offer to help. The old man saw that and couldn’t help but laugh at the look on his face as he ushered them out the door, giving them the number to call on Tuesday to verify that everything had gone through. 

“I’ll drive first again, since you’ve been awake longer,” Gabriel said as they headed back to the car, right back to the same awkwardness after the first time they kissed. This time, Sam wasted no time downing the Nyquil and passed out almost immediately when they got in the car. Gabriel was too busy between feeling awkward and trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was actually married now, to bother trying to check Sam out. That and making a plan to get over the awkwardness, which he managed to put into effect when they stopped for a gas and bathroom break. “You know, this is technically our wedding night?” he said suggestively, waggling his eyebrows at his new husband who just gaped at him for a moment before Gabriel burst into laughter and said, “I’m kidding! I’m kidding!” 

Sam burst into laughter with him and shoved him against the car. “Ass,” he teased, and just like that all the awkward disappeared and Gabriel was mentally patting himself on the back. Once they got back in the car, Sam took over driving since it was almost sunup, and it was his turn now, giving Gabriel the chance to take his Xanax/Nyquil combo and pass out. He didn’t wake up until they were pulling back into the parking lot of the apartment just as it was getting dark again and he groaned as he realized that he hadn’t exactly thought this through. Now he was going to be up all night and school would be a nightmare tomorrow, but it had been worth it. He would be going to Stanford. They both would be. 

Once they called the courthouse in California and verified that everything was filed and legal after school on Tuesday, they finished filing their financial aid forms and then it was in for a long wait. It was a month before Sam got his response and was waiting impatiently for Gabriel to get home so he could tell him. “I got a full ride!” Sam exclaimed before Gabriel even got in the door after his art club. 

“That’s awesome!” Gabriel congratulated him. “Anything for me?” he asked already flipping frantically through the stack of mail. 

“Not yet. Sorry. I probably should have waited,” Sam said apologetically. 

“No, that’s okay. No need to wait to share the good news. I’m sure mine is on it’s way,” Gabriel said, trying his best to ignore the knot of fear in his stomach. Thankfully it only stayed for three days before Gabriel’s letter came. Once again, he had stayed after school for some club or another and Sam thrust the envelope at him the second he walked in the door. Gabriel took a deep breath before ripping it open and then breaking out in a grin. “I got 80%. That means I’ll only have to pay about nine thousand a year. I can easily get a loan for that much, since I don’t need a co-signer now. I mean, I could pay it out of pocket, but it would make things pretty tight for us, so I’ll try for a loan, but it won’t be the end of the world if I don’t get it…”

“Gabriel!” Sam said amusedly. When the shorter boy stopped and stared at him he said, “You’re babbling.”

“Right. Sorry. It’s just…we’re both going to Stanford!” he said happily, jumping in Sam’s arms and planting a big kiss right on his husband’s lips. At least until he realized what he was doing and he hopped down and scrambled away. “Sorry. I just…I don’t know what…”

“You got excited and did something crazy. It happens,” Sam said quickly, trying to brush it off before things got weird again. 

“Right, yeah. Still. Stanford, Sammy!” Gabriel said letting his joy infect him again. “We’re gonna need to start looking for apartments. I’ve got enough still left over from the car to get everything set up again even if we didn’t get any deposits back from here. Oh we need to send in our acceptance confirmations first. And get registered and…”

“And we have almost three months to do all that,” Sam interrupted him before he started babbling again. “And first we have to graduate next week.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I got Valedictorian,” Gabriel said happily. “I just found out today.”

“That’s awesome! So did I!” Sam said just as happily, and he was suddenly glad they went to different schools. He would have hated competing with Gabriel for it. Then one of them would have had to lose to the other. 

“That’s it. We’re going out somewhere fancy to celebrate. Genovese?” he suggested. 

“Isn’t that a little pricey? And wouldn’t it be too late to get reservations?” Sam asked, hating to burst Gabriel’s bubble. 

“So what if it’s pricey. That’s what a celebration is for! And as far as the reservations, my family has a standing reservation at all times. As long as none of them are using it tonight, it’s up for grabs,” Gabriel told him. “And the best part is that standing reservation bills right to my father, so our nice celebration will be on him. How’s that for sticking it to the old man?” Sam couldn’t help the laugh that burst out at that and no longer had any arguments against the idea.


	6. Chapter 6

The two boys worked on their valedictorian speeches together, so they had a common theme, despite their very different styles. The common theme was the idea that even at your lowest moment opportunity could come knocking if you just had the courage and determination to accept, and when the time came for their graduations, they were glad to realize that they weren’t scheduled at the same time. Especially since neither of them expected anyone else to be there for either of them, so they could be there for each other. Gabriel’s was first, in the morning and Sam found his spot in the audience and cheered for Gabriel just as loudly as all the parents there cheered for their kids, and did the same after his speech, despite having heard it twenty times while he had been practicing. He was amazed at how much more easily Gabriel’s wit and jokes came off when he was in front of a crowd than one person. Sam’s would be more likely to do the opposite. 

When Sam’s graduation came that afternoon, he got a surprise as he walked across the stage and Gabriel wasn’t the only one cheering for him. On the other side of the auditorium from Gabriel, Sam saw his brother standing there cheering, and his steps faltered, but he made it across the stage without further incident. He managed to forget about it during his speech thankfully or he would never have gotten it out, but as soon as the ceremony was over he made a beeline to where his brother was sitting. “What are you doing here, Dean?” Sam asked frustrated, not noticing Gabriel come up behind him to offer support if needed. 

“Look, Sammy. I had nothing to do with Dad. If I had been there, I would never have let him kick you out like that, and I definitely wasn’t going to miss your graduation.”

“You were definitely on his bandwagon about me joining the family business. You expect me to believe that you would have stood up for me?” Sam asked incredulously. 

“Yes, I wanted you to join the business. Still do. But unlike Dad, I’m not going to try and force you. I just want my little brother back. Is that so much to ask?” 

“Then where have you been the last month and a half?” Sam asked skeptically. 

“I had no idea how to contact you. I didn’t know where you were or what your new number was if you had one,” Dean told him. 

“That’s an excuse if I’ve ever heard one,” Sam snapped. “You know where I go to school. I’ve yet to miss a day. You’re telling me you couldn’t have come by one day to tell me all this then?” 

“And have Dad go off on me for missing work? Doubly so if he found out I’d been with you? I’m gonna catch enough shit for being here today, but this was too important to miss. I don’t need to catch shit from you too.”

Seeing that Sam was about to cave, Gabriel took that opportunity to jump in. If Sam really wanted to forgive his brother then he would support that, but he was going to be damned if he didn’t get his two cents worth in first. “So, your brother’s out in the streets with nowhere to go and no money to get there and you’re more worried about ‘catching shit’ than trying to help him?” Gabriel said. 

“Who the hell are you, and why is it your business?” Dean snapped at the newcomer. 

“This is my roommate, Gabriel. He took me in when I had nowhere else to go, so it’s absolutely his business,” Sam defended him. 

“Gabriel…wait Gabriel Shurley? The rich kid? Why the hell are you mixing with people like that Sammy. They will chew you up and spit you out the second you’re not useful to them anymore.”

“Not so rich anymore, and you’re right. My family would absolutely do that. That’s what they did to me after all. Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m not like them, as evidenced by the fact that I’ve been disowned, so take your self-righteous crap and shove it,” Gabriel snapped. 

“Okay, this is getting a little out of hand,” Sam said trying to play peacemaker. “Let’s just drop it. Thank you for coming Dean. I’ll think about what you said. You ready to go home, Gabe?” 

“Hang on, Sammy,” Dean said before they could leave. This had gone all wrong, but at least Sam hadn’t told him to piss off. “Here. I got one of those new cell phone things. Here’s the number if you want to call me without having to worry about Dad.”

“Thanks, Dean,” Sam told him before walking back to the car with Gabriel, and Dean watched them go. If nothing else the fact that they got into a ten-year-old, dinged up Camaro was enough to prove that Gabriel had been telling the truth at least.

They drove back to the apartment in silence, both lost in thought about what had just happened, and when they got back, Gabriel couldn’t contain his question anymore. “Are you going to call him?” 

“I don’t know. What do you think?” Sam asked. He had learned that Gabriel had a very unique way of seeing things and a great talent for getting right to the heart of the matter. 

“I think he’s an insensitive moron who’s too little too late on all they sympathy crap. But he is trying. That means something. It’s more than any of my family would do,” Gabriel told him. 

Sam nodded and thought about it for a while. “Yeah. You’re right. I’ll call him…in a few days, but I’m not letting him off the hook yet. If he wants me back in his life, he’s going to have to earn my trust back.” Gabriel nodded in acceptance. That’s exactly what he would do in Sam’s situation too. Well, other than the fact that he might have thrown a punch or two. 

Now that graduation was over, Gabriel started looking for apartments near Stanford. He didn’t want to end up missing his chance. He still had enough left from the sale of the car to get them in comfortably, even if they didn’t get any deposits back from this place, which they should. It took him two weeks to find something, and after the landlord sent pictures, well used to dealing with out of town college kids, Gabriel shared them with Sam for final approval. It was about the same size as their current place, maybe a little bigger, and the walls were a nice white color instead of puke orange, so that was a bonus. Sam gave his okay and Gabriel sent off the deposit. He would pay the first month’s rent when they moved in next month, just over a month before school started. 

Sam did end up calling Dean after a week had passed and Dean had been so glad to hear from his brother that he didn’t give him any more shit about their confrontation and Sam was content to just let it go. After that he called him every few days for a couple weeks before Dean asked if he could come by and hang out one night. Sam saw no reason to turn him down, but waited until an evening that Gabriel was going to be going out with some friends, the few that hadn’t abandoned him after his falling out with his family anyway. He wasn’t sure he could deal with any drama between the two of them the whole night. Once he’d had some time with his brother to smooth things over in person, he would be perfectly happy to knock some sense into one or both of them, but it would be easier to be alone for a while first. 

When Dean showed up, the first thing he did was make a comment on the ugly walls, but other than that was appreciative of the rather nice apartment. Sam gave him the grand tour, showing Dean his room, but just pointing out Gabriel’s. “What’d you do? Clean up for me?” Dean joked. 

Sam looked at him confused. “No…it always looks like this.”

“Two teenage boys in an apartment by themselves and it looks like a professional maid service was just here?” Dean asked skeptically. “Wait…do you have a professional maid service?” 

“No, we don’t,” Sam rolled his eyes. “We’re just not slobs. Neither of us like much in the way of messes, but I do the majority of the cleaning though since I’m not paying rent or anything, it’s only fair.”

“About that…how’d you get some random kid you’d never met before to take you in for free?” Dean asked not sure what was off about this situation, but his guy was telling him there was something more going on here. 

Sam considered how to answer that for a moment. Telling his brother the truth was out of the question, but what could he say. He would have to settle for a lesser and much less convincing version of the truth. “We bonded in the library after we both got kicked out, and he didn’t much want to be alone, so he offered me a room with him,” Sam said with a shrug and he noticed Dean’s skeptical look and decided to throw him a little more of a bone. “It helped that we’re both going to Stanford, so we have that in common. We’re actually moving out there in two weeks.”

“Still. That seems like a lot of generosity for very little in return,” Dean said. 

“Just trust me, Dean. He’s on the up. I’m not an idiot,” Sam said wearily, and thankfully Dean dropped it.


	7. Chapter 7

It was just after nine pm that Gabriel came storming in, slamming the door, making both Sam and Dean jump, but Sam’s face quickly turned into a frown at the look on Gabriel’s. “What happened?” Sam asked worriedly. 

“Sorry. Didn’t realize you had company,” Gabriel snapped. “I’ll just grab something to eat and get out of your hair.”

Sam didn’t miss Dean’s raised eyebrow at the way Gabriel was talking to him, but he wasn’t worried about Dean right now. “Seriously Gabe. What’s wrong?” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Gabriel snapped again, deciding to just grab a bag of chips and head for his room but Sam cut him off before he got there, by grabbing his arm and spinning him around. 

“Come on, Gabe. Talk to me,” Sam asked worriedly. 

“Fine. Apparently, my family found out that I still had some friends that would associate with me after they cut me off, so they spread the word about my little secret. Let’s just say that my so-called friends took it about like my family did. I can’t wait to get out of this shithole town,” Gabriel growled, snatching his arm from Sam’s grip and slamming his bedroom door behind him. 

“You’re seriously going to let him treat you like that?” Dean asked incredulously when Sam just let it go. 

“Like you’ve never gone off on me when something else pissed you off?” Sam pointed out. “He’ll apologize tomorrow and it’s not like anything he did was so bad. Hell, you’ve done a lot worse.”

“But I’m your brother,” Dean said as though that should make everything okay. 

“And he’s my best friend and just lost the little he had left in his life here. He’s entitled to be a little pissy,” Sam told him firmly. 

“What kind of secret could he have that’s that big?” Dean asked. 

“If I know his family like I think I do, you’ll find out soon enough. Everyone will. But I won’t betray him by being the one to tell you,” Sam told him. “It’s none of your business.”

“It’s my business if he’s a serial killer or something. If he could hurt you in some way. Or take advantage of you or something.”

“Well he’s not and he wouldn’t. He hasn’t given me so much as a look since we met,” Sam snapped. 

Something in Sam’s tone when he said that was enough to clue Dean in on the secret anyway. “He’s gay?” 

“I’m not talking about any of this, Dean,” Sam said setting his jaw angrily. His brother just couldn’t stop pushing. 

“He is. That’s why he’s letting you live here for free. It’s not actually free is it? You can tell me, Sammy,” Dean said worried. 

“Fuck off, Dean,” Sam lost it. “I know you don’t know him, but that you could even think that of me is just bullshit. You can get that idea out of your head or you can get out.”

“Okay, Sammy. Okay. I’m sorry. But you have to admit, it doesn’t look good,” Dean tried to placate his brother, able to tell by his reaction that he was barking up the wrong tree. 

“I don’t give a shit how it looks. It’s not like that, and you of all people should know me better than that. That’s the kind of assumption I would expect from DAD.”

That made Dean falter a bit. Sure he idolized their father, but coming from Sam, that statement meant something far different. “Okay. You’re right. I’m sorry,” Dean told him. “I should probably go, but call me tomorrow? Let me know how things are and…and how Gabriel is?” Despite everything, he couldn’t help but feel bad for the kid. 

“I’ll think about it,” Sam said, opening the door for Dean to leave. 

Dean knew that his brother was just on edge right now, and he hadn’t helped a bit. It was better to get some distance and calm down first and come at this with clearer heads tomorrow. As long as there was a tomorrow. At least he knew where Sam lived now. And had his phone number. He would make sure there was a tomorrow. 

Once Dean was gone, Sam sighed heavily and went to Gabriel’s room and knocked on the door, getting a, “Go away, Sam,” in response. 

“I just wanna say, I’m sorry. And if you wanna talk, I’m here,” Sam said softly through the door. 

At that, the door snapped open. “Why, so you can tell your brother some more juicy gossip? Piss off,” and then the door was slammed in his face again. 

Sam just stood there staring at it for a second as he tried to wrap his head around how badly everything screwed up. If Gabriel had heard the argument between him and Dean, then he must have assumed that Sam told him. Damnit. Sam should have remembered the thin walls in the place. Dean’s assumptions had just pissed him off so much he hadn’t even considered it. He realized that he wasn’t going to get through to Gabriel tonight so decided to ambush him in the morning and get all this cleared up. 

Sam set his alarm for an hour earlier than usual, just to be sure Gabriel wouldn’t skip out before they could talk, and he put on a pot of coffee. Once he heard the shower start up, he poured a cup for Gabriel and letting it cool as he parked himself at the kitchen table with a book, between Gabriel’s room and the door. He heard Gabriel’s steps falter as he saw Sam sitting there and Sam held out the coffee with a hopeful smile. “Peace offering?” 

Gabriel just grunted and grabbed the coffee, downing the whole cup in one drink before pouring himself another cup to sip. He did sit down at the table though, so Sam took it as a sign that he would talk when he was more awake to do so, so Sam went back to his book in the meantime. It was twenty minutes later before he heard the cup hit the table a little louder than usual and he looked up to see Gabriel looking at him and start to open his mouth to speak, but Sam cut him off. “I’m sorry, Gabriel. I never meant to tell him. I DIDN’T tell him. Not really. He just…”

“I know, Sam. I heard it all. Thin walls remember. You could have tried to deny it a little more, but I get that you were caught off guard. Besides, you were right. The whole town will probably know soon enough. I guess it was better that he find out here where you could correct him right away rather than give him time to work himself up over it. I’m sorry I snapped at you. Both then and when I got home.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. Everyone is allowed to be pissy from time to time. Especially when something so bad happens. I thought your response was far more controlled than mine would have been in your shoes. I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Sam said gently. 

“Yeah. Well. At least now I know who my real friends are. And they currently number one,” Gabriel said with a tense smile at Sam. 

“I’ll always be your friend, Gabriel. Unless you turn out to be a serial killer,” he joked. 

Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I can’t believe that was the first thought in your brother’s head. I’d be offended if it wasn’t so ridiculous. I guess in comparison being gay isn’t so bad.”

“There’s a tagline for you. So what if I’m gay. At least I’m not a serial killer,” Sam said as he nearly fell out of his chair laughing, just making Gabriel laugh harder too. 

Once they had regained control of themselves, Gabriel said, still chuckling a bit. “Thanks, Sam. I needed that.”

“Anytime,” Sam said getting up and putting a comforting hand on Gabriel’s shoulder as he headed over to the cabinets. “Breakfast is on me this morning. What do you want?” 

“Well that would be severely limited by what you’re capable of cooking,” Gabriel teased, and Sam stuck his tongue out at him. “I was just thinking of heating up some of those frozen sausage biscuits.”

“Frozen sausage biscuits it is,” Sam said pulling the box out of the freezer and popping eight of them on a plate and into the microwave. This was something even he couldn’t screw up. 

After a breakfast, in much better spirits than it started, Gabriel said, “You should call your brothers. Tempers were running high last night, and you shouldn’t leave it like that.”

“Yeah, I know. I will later. Calling him before noon on a Saturday will just get me another dose of that temper,” Sam said with a chuckle. 

In the end, Dean called him an hour later, around ten. “What are you doing up so early on a Saturday?” Sam asked incredulously. 

“I was worried,” Dean admitted, hoping that it wouldn’t set off Sam’s temper again. 

“I know. Sorry about last night. We were all a little on edge. Wanna give it a shot again tonight?” Sam offered. 

“I’m sorry too. You sure your roommate is up to company tonight?” Dean asked. Now that he’d had some time to process, he felt even worse for Gabriel, and guilty about his automatic assumptions. In his defense, it was the culture he was raised in, and he came to his senses once the shock wore off, but he knew that didn’t make it right. 

“I don’t know. Let me check. Hey Gabe, you up for some company tonight?” Sam asked. 

“As long as it’s civil company,” Gabe said back. He was sure that Sam wouldn’t have asked if his brother was still being a dick about it, but he wanted it understood by both sides that he wasn’t dealing with any more bullshit today. 

“It will be,” Dean said before Sam could even relay the message. 

“Okay good. Just stop by whenever. I think we’re gonna be staying in today anyway,” Sam told him.


	8. Chapter 8

Two weeks later, Sam and Gabriel were packing up their car and Dean stopped by to help, wanting to say goodbye to his little brother properly. It wasn’t like there was much to pack up though. Their big tv went in the backseat with the small tv on the floor in the back. The computers, DVD, VCR, surround sound as well as their one box of towels and toiletries went in the trunk and their duffel bags with the few clothes they owned were stuffed in the back around the tvs. They had decided to leave their dishes and pots and pans. It would be cheaper to buy new ones than rent a truck to drive all the way to California for them since they couldn’t possibly fit any more in the car. Since they weren’t able to put the seat back to sleep this time, they were hitting the road early and would stop at a hotel overnight. 

This trip was far less tense than their first, though it made it even more boring. Even Gabriel’s jokes could only go on for so long. Not to mention, Sam’s seat was pushed forward enough to fit everything in the backseat, so he was more than a little cramped. As a result, they stopped every few hours to stretch their legs, and every other stop was a meal stop. When they finally pulled into a hotel after a 12-hour drive, Sam was more than ready to get out of the damn car, trying not to think about the fact that they still had one more day of that ahead of them. Gabriel wasn’t in the best of moods either since he had been the one driving all day. He understood why, of course. With as far as the front seats had to be forward, Sam would be far too cramped to drive, but while that made him try not to take it out on Sam, it didn’t annoy him any less overall. It wasn’t exactly Sam’s fault he was a giant. 

The next night, they had to stay at another hotel in Palo Alto since they got in so late, but the next morning, they met their new landlord as scheduled, handed over the first month rent, signed the lease and got the keys. Once they unloaded the little bit they had in the car, Gabriel drove them to a furniture store. This apartment didn’t come furnished like the last one so they needed furniture fast. It was a good thing that Gabriel’s loan had come through for the remainder of his tuition or they would be roughing it for a while, but he still had a few thousand dollars left from his sale of the car and would be getting his next payment from his trust fund next week, so they would be okay. The landlord had gotten the electricity turned on in their names while they were shopping, and the cable/internet/phone guys wouldn’t be there until tomorrow, so they would have to rough it for a night. In more than that. After furniture shopping, they weren’t about to spend the rest of the day in a grocery store or a household goods store, so the plan was to stop for lunch while they were out and order pizza for dinner and watch movies tonight. 

They got to the furniture store and were immediately set on by a salesperson. This was their favorite time of year and they always had extra staff on hand. Gabriel was glad to find that they kept enough staff on hand for same day deliveries even if there was an extra charge for it. It made sense though. College kids coming to town wouldn’t want to sleep on the floor their first night in a new apartment. They walked around, checking out the different options, but the only thing Sam picked out on his own was his bed, dresser, and nightstand. The rest he tried to defer to Gabriel on, but the shorter boy wasn’t having it. He kept saying that it was their apartment, not his alone, so they should both like the furniture. 

They settled on a chocolate brown living room set, and a rather generic four-person dining room set. The apartment did come with appliances at least, though the laundromat was in the basement, but that was one thing they didn’t have to worry about at least. They had decided to get desks that matched the living room furniture rather than the bedrooms, since they had found that they enjoyed doing their homework together where they could bounce ideas off one another from time to time. The furniture shopping went much quicker than they expected and since the household goods store was next door, they decided to knock that out before lunch when they would head back and start unpacking while they waited for the furniture to be delivered. 

The furniture arrived about four and the delivery guys helped them get it all set up, after which Sam and Gabriel could get the tvs and computers set up too before they ordered pizza, popped in a movie, and collapsed on the couch, exhausted. “So, I’m thinking tomorrow all we have to do is grocery shopping and clothes shopping,” Gabriel told him. 

“Grocery shopping yeah, but I’m good on clothes,” Sam told him. 

“Come on, Sammykins,” Gabriel said skeptically. “Your bag was the same size as mine and I’m a lot smaller than you. Not to mention I’ve seen all the clothes you own, and it’s not nearly enough.”

“I don’t have money for new clothes, Gabriel, and I can’t let you buy EVERYTHING for me,” Sam said wearily. Most of what he’d bought, other than the computer and the bedroom furniture had been for both of them after all, and Sam only allowed the bedroom furniture because he didn’t really want to sleep on the floor or the couch. 

“You seem to forget that we’re married,” Gabriel pointed out. 

“Only on paper,” Sam replied. 

“That doesn’t matter. Legally, what’s mine is yours. It’s not like it’s your fault you don’t have any money. If it makes you feel better you can pay me back for the clothes once you start getting your housing allowance from your scholarship, but you can’t expect me to just let you go without until then. The only reason I’ve let you so far is because it was less we would have to move when we came here.”

Sam sighed in defeat. Would he never win an argument with Gabriel? “Fine, but I will pay you back. For that and the bedroom set,” he said firmly. 

“We’ll set up an installment plan,” Gabriel offered, knowing it would take more than he could spare in that first check to pay him back for all of it. He and Sam had already discussed his contributions once he was getting the check, so he knew that Sam would also be paying for half the groceries, electricity, and cable bills with an option on rent if he found himself with extra money, but Gabriel insisted that he keep at least $200 a month for himself regardless of anything else. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about Sam cleaning out his trust fund before their divorce. 

It was a week later before they got the notice that the registration packets were ready, and they headed down to the office to pick them up. They went over them together, getting all of their general education classes together and finally found out what each other wanted to do with their lives. “Pre-law huh?” Gabriel asked, peeking at Sam’s form. “Ambitious.”

“Says Mr. Pre-med,” Sam shot back amusedly. “What kind of medicine are you looking to go into?” 

“Pediatrics. Pediatric oncology to be exact.”

“You want to work with dying kids?” Sam asked surprised. Not the kids part. It had never been mentioned, but he didn’t find it at all surprising that Gabriel was a kid person, but the part where they would be dying was a big shocker. Who would want to put themselves through that?

“Sure. Those kids could use someone who cares, and who can keep their spirits high and I like to think I could be good at that,” Gabriel said with a shrug. 

“I think you could be great at that,” Sam told him feeling a surge of affection for the blonde. 

“So, what about you? What kind of law do you want to get into? Trial attorney?” 

“Family law, actually. I guess I’m a sucker for helping kids too,” Sam said with a chuckle that was echoed by Gabriel. 

When it came to choosing extracurriculars, they were as different as could be though. Gabriel quickly chose dance and drama with the intention of joining a choral group once he found one he liked. “You sing?” Sam asked curiously. In the months they’d been living together he’d never heard Gabriel sing. Not even in the shower.

“Sure,” Gabriel said with an embarrassed shrug. “I’ve always liked to sing. I just don’t get a chance to do it much.”

“I’d like to hear you sing sometime,” Sam told him, marveling at how much he had never known about his roommate. 

“I’m sure you will once I join a group,” Gabriel deflected. He would need to practice after all. “So what are you going to do?” 

“I’m not sure. I think newspaper might be kinda fun, but I’m lost on my second one,” Sam told him showing Gabriel the list along with the ones he’d ruled out. 

“Go with film studies. I think you would enjoy that one,” Gabriel suggested. 

“Okay. I’ll give that one a shot. I can always change next semester if I don’t like it,” Sam said marking film studies as his second one. Stanford required at least two extracurriculars per semester to turn out ‘well-rounded students’, and film studies had been on his short list. Schedules decided, they headed back to the registrar’s office to turn them in and register their off-campus housing.


	9. Chapter 9

The new insights that Sam had gotten about Gabriel did not help his efforts to keep from falling for him at all. Ever since that last kiss, when Gabriel had gotten so excited about his financial aid coming through, he had been having trouble getting him out of his head. That kiss had been so different than their other awkward, almost forced kisses, and not only for the fact that it lingered for more than a second. He had done pretty well at hiding things from Gabriel though, he thought. He knew that it was a bad idea. Gabriel had never showed the slightest interest in him, and the last thing they needed was for things to get weird between them. It was getting harder and harder to stop those feelings from forming though, and by the time classes started, Sam knew that something had to give. He had almost kissed Gabriel last night while they had been sitting around watching movies. He couldn’t go on like this. 

It was this thinking that led him to asking out the cute blonde girl in his film studies group, Jessica. Gabriel reaction, or lack there-of beyond a congratulations, just cemented his idea about forgetting about him for good. The fact that Jessica looked a lot like Gabriel was just a coincidence. By the time the date ended that weekend though, he knew he was in trouble. He hadn’t stopped talking about Gabriel all night, and he could tell she was very annoyed about the fact, but he just couldn’t stop himself. It wasn’t at all surprising that she turned him down for a second date, and Sam was actually considering talking to Gabriel about the matter, just to get everything in the open if nothing else. Maybe if he was actually turned down he might be able to get over it and move it. Even if it did make things weird around the apartment for a while. 

Before Sam could make up his mind though, it was Gabriel’s turn to get a date. One of the guys in his choral group, Brady. Sam forced the same nonchalant congratulations that Gabriel had given him and refused to let on how much it bothered him. It did change things though. Especially when Gabriel got a second and then a third date with Brady before they were going out regularly. Despite trying not to, Sam was getting very pissy with Gabriel for stupid reasons; nit-picking everything he did and they were snapping at each other all the time. It finally came to a head one night, almost two months after Gabriel and Brady had started dating, when Sam was watching tv and the door opened and a very drunk Gabriel and Brady stumbled in attached at the lips. 

Sam slammed the remote down on the table before storming to the kitchen to grab a snack to take to his own room, fully intending to put his headphones on and blare his music for a few hours. He had no interest in hearing whatever they planned to get up to. Gabriel and Brady jumped at the sound though and Gabriel gave his not actually official boyfriend one more quick kiss before rushing him out the door. It was time to resolve this once and for all. Once Brady was gone, Gabriel rounded on Sam. “What the hell is your problem lately?” 

“Problem? I don’t have a problem,” Sam snapped. 

“Bullshit you don’t. You’ve been walking around here more prickly than a porcupine with PMS for months now. I thought it was just the stress of school, but it’s going beyond that now and I want to know why you’re suddenly acting like a pissy wife around me?” 

“Don’t you mean husband?” Sam asked heatedly. 

“Only on paper, as you’re so fond of reminding me. Is that what this is about? Me and Brady? Need I remind you that you were the first one to date someone,” Gabriel snapped back. 

“Yeah. One date! And it tanked because I couldn’t stop talking about you!” Sam yelled before realizing what he’d said, and his eyes went wide as Gabriel just gaped at him. 

“What are you saying, Sam?” Gabriel asked suddenly much calmer. 

“Nothing. Forget it,” Sam said quickly, turning to flee before Gabriel caught his wrist in his hand. 

“No. I can’t forget it. I don’t WANT to forget it. What did you mean?” Gabriel said firmly, holding tighter when Sam tried to pull away. 

“I’m saying, I like you okay!” Sam snapped, and Gabriel’s shock finally allowed him to pull his arm away and storm into his room, slamming the door as he tried to will the tears away. This was a freaking disaster. Gabriel just stood there dumbfounded for a few minutes before storming into Sam’s room after him, not even bothering to knock, not missing the tears Sam wiped hastily from his face as he came in. “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

“Enough with the attitude, Sam,” Gabriel said in a no-nonsense tone. “We are going to sit down and talk about this like rational adults.” When Sam deflated and gave a slight nod, Gabriel started talking again. “I thought you were straight. Why would you never tell me you were gay? I mean, I get why you never broadcasted it to the world, but why not tell me at least? Did you really think I wouldn’t understand?” he asked hurt. 

“I’m not…gay. Not really. I guess I’m more…bi. I didn’t say anything because you never seemed interested in me, so what was the point of setting myself up for disappointment,” Sam told him. 

“I didn’t seem interested because I wouldn’t let myself because you were straight,” Gabriel told him. “I know I don’t talk much about my family, but you must have picked up on the fact that I had to be a good actor to survive in that house. And interested or not, you still could have talked to me about it,” Gabriel told him. 

“You wouldn’t let yourself…does that mean…” Sam was cut off by the feel of soft lips against his own and he couldn’t help but kiss Gabriel back sweetly and when he felt Gabriel’s probing tongue he opened for him for a moment before he pushed him away. “We can’t…Brady…”

“Brady and I aren’t anything official,” Gabriel told him. 

“Still…I can’t…”

“You want me to drop him? Consider him dropped,” Gabriel said quickly. “I’ll call him now if it makes you feel better.”

“I don’t know…I mean…” Sam stammered. 

“Right. You’re right. This is too much right now. We’re both too emotional. We should think about this and come at it with clearer heads tomorrow. I’m still dropping Brady though. If I have even a chance with you, I’m not letting anything interfere with that.” Sam just nodded dumbly, trying to get his mind to catch up to what was going on. Gabriel leaned over and pressed one more short chaste kiss to Sam’s lips. “We’ll talk tomorrow,” he whispered before heading out, taking all of his willpower to do so.

For the first time, Gabriel was actually up first the next morning and managed to get two cups of coffee in him before he started breakfast, the smell of which finally roused Sam, who was shocked to see Gabriel already awake and cooking breakfast as the memories of the previous night rushed back to him and he just stared at Gabriel until a plate was plopped in front of him. Only because he was looking for it, did he notice how Gabriel’s hands were shaking as he did so. “Did you talk to Brady?” popped out of Sam’s mouth before he could even think to censor it. 

“I did. Told him we were over. He took it well. Seemed he was more observant than I was since he pegged the situation immediately,” Gabriel told him nervously. “But then he wasn’t working from false information either.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Sam said. Now that he had thought about it, he realized that he should have at least told Gabriel he was bi. If nothing else, so that he would know that he wasn’t alone. 

“How long have you known?” Gabriel asked curiously. 

“Since the first time you kissed me at the dinner table,” Sam admitted. 

Gabriel nodded as he turned that over in his head. It made sense then that Sam had never told him. He had still been trying to come to terms with it himself. “I figured out I was gay when I was fifteen. It took me three years to even think about telling anyone. I think I can forgive you for keeping quiet for five months,” Gabriel told him gently. 

“I’ve always wondered,” Sam started, not sure how to ask the question. “You told me so easily when we met in the library, but you still didn’t tell other people.”

Gabriel snorted in amusement. He was surprised it had taken so long for that to come up. “When we met, I was feeling so defeated and down that I just didn’t care anymore. Plus, you were a stranger. Not so much risk. I think I just needed to get it off my chest.”

“That makes sense,” Sam said with a nod before an uncomfortable silence descended on the room. “So…what are we doing here?” Sam asked nervously a few minutes later. 

“That’s up to you,” Gabriel told him. “I think we’ve established that I’m interested, but if you’re not ready to go there yet, that’s okay.”

“No, I am. I…I want to,” Sam stammered. 

Once again, very reminiscent of their first kiss, Gabriel leaned over the table and pressed his lips to Sam’s softly and experimentally, smiling into it, when Sam’s hand brushed over his face before he deepened the kiss. It was slow and sweet, and didn’t end until they both needed air. As soon as it did though, Sam had to know. “Did you and Brady ever sleep together?” 

“No,” Gabriel told him honestly. “We never went further than kissing, with some wandering hands from time to time, but that’s it.” He needed Sam to know that. To know that Sam would be his first in everything if he was willing. 

“Okay,” Sam said simply, not even questioning Gabriel’s words before he closed the slight distance between them, kissing Gabriel again.


	10. Chapter 10

It was only a few minutes later when the alarm on Gabriel’s watch went off. “Shit. We’re gonna be late for class!” The next few minutes was scrambling to get their books together and heading out the door. Once they were outside, they slowed to their normal walking pace and Gabriel held out his hand quirking an eyebrow at Sam, who only hesitated for a moment before taking it and threading their fingers together with a bashful smile. “I’ve missed walking to class with you,” Gabriel told him. They’d been having so many issues lately, that Sam had been leaving early just to avoid walking with Gabriel.

“So have I,” Sam said squeezing Gabriel’s hand. 

“Then next time don’t be an idiot and just talk to me huh?” Gabriel teased. 

Sam laughed. “I’ll do my best.”

“You better,” Gabriel said bumping Sam with his shoulder, pushing him away a bit before their joined hands pulled him back. 

Classes that day were filled with distractions. Sam just couldn’t stop looking at Gabriel. Everything about him was even more entrancing than ever before. The way his hands moved when he was making a point in discussions, the way his brow furrowed when he was confused. The way his tongue poked out of his mouth just a bit when he was feverishly taking notes. Gabriel wasn’t immune to the distraction either, finding himself looking at Sam more than he should have too, giving him a happy smile every time their eyes met and following it up with a wink before turning his attention back to the class. 

Once the class was over, Sam pulled Gabriel into the hallway and kissed him soundly. “I’ve been dying to do that all class.”

“Mmm. You and me both, Samsquatch,” Gabriel said blissfully, giving him one more kiss before pulling him along. “Come on. I’m taking you out for lunch. Not really a proper date given the short notice and little bit of time we have, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Who cares about proper,” Sam said with a grin. 

“Right now? No one. But I do intend to take you on a proper date at the next available opportunity,” Gabriel informed him. 

“Oh you intend it do you? And do I get a say in this date?” Sam teased. 

“Only if your say is yes,” Gabriel teased him back. 

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I like you so much.”

“Good for me certainly,” Gabriel replied, pulling Sam into the campus McDonalds. They only had half an hour until their next class so this would do. 

Once they were sitting with their food, Gabriel decided to broach another subject he had intended to that morning before they got distracted. “So we’ve established when you realized you were bi, but when did you start liking me specifically?” He wanted to know how long he could have had this if he’d been more observant. 

“I’m not sure exactly when things changed. I mean…you were my first kiss, you know. So that kinda muddies the waters a bit. I do know the moment I fe…started to really like you though.”

Gabriel felt his heart skip a beat at the aborted sentence. There was little question what it would have been. He had started off by saying he didn’t know when he started to like him and finished with the opposite, after all. He didn’t think he was ready to go there just yet either though, so he let it stand as it was said. “And when was that?” 

“The day we were filling out our registration paperwork, when we started talking about what we wanted to do after school,” Sam said with a fond smile before asking. “What about you?” He too wanted to know how long he had been blind. 

“Well if you mean, when I was first attracted to you, duh. It was the moment I first saw you standing there all gorgeous and being sweet enough to ask if I was okay and it was just all downhill from there,” Gabriel told him, reaching out to twirl a lock of Sam’s hair around his finger. 

Sam turned to press a kiss to Gabriel’s palm as he said, “Well I’m glad we finally got it worked out.”

“Me too Sammykins,” Gabriel said happily. They ended up having to rush to their next class too, not that they retained much more than they had the first class, and as they walked home afterwards, Gabriel told him, “So I’ve got my choral group rehearsal in an hour, but maybe after we could do that whole date thing?” he asked hopefully. 

“That sounds perfect,” Sam told him. “Dress code?” 

“Nice casual,” Gabriel replied. He would save the big wine and dine for another day. No way would he be able to get reservations at this short notice anyway. Tonight would just be a nice dinner and a movie. Start off nice and slow. At least the movie would be easy to pick. They had both been talking recently about going to see Little Nicky. 

When Gabriel got home from his choral group, he went to change clothes, meeting a rather nervous looking Sam back in the kitchen after. “You ready?” Gabriel asked, trying not to let Sam’s rather obvious nerves heighten his carefully hidden ones. 

“Yeah,” Sam said reaching for Gabriel’s hand, as much out of affection, as needing the moral support. Once they were on the road to a nice little diner that had been recommended by a friend from his choral group, Sam couldn’t stop himself from asking. “How was the choral group?” 

Gabriel heard the underlying tightness in the question though, and knew what Sam was really asking and he intended to nip this in the bud immediately. “You mean, did I see Brady?” Sam’s silence and blush was enough of an answer. “Yes, I did. We were very cordial,” Gabriel told him. Seeing that Sam didn’t seem to feel much better about the idea, Gabriel let out a sigh. “Look, Sam. Brady was never anything more than a distraction for me. Just as I was for him. That’s the biggest reason things never went very far with us. I don’t think I need to tell you why I needed the distraction?” 

Sam visibly relaxed at that explanation, and said, “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t know why it bothers me so much.”

“I do,” Gabriel told him. “You spent all that time pining for me and having to watch me with him and that goes a little deeper than just the surface. It will take you a little time to get over. As long as you know that I’m with you now, and I won’t screw that up by messing around.” Gabriel didn’t realize until that moment that he had been considering them as official when nothing had been said about the matter. “I mean…if you want us to be…you know together, together.”

“Yeah. I do,” Sam said squeezing Gabriel’s hand. The fact that Gabriel had apparently considered them so anyway, banished the last of his doubts about his fidelity. He knew that Gabriel being around Brady would probably bug him for a while, but now he knew that he would get over it. Once they got into the restaurant, Sam immediately fell in love. It was done up in all-natural looking wood, with large circular booths, and red checkered tablecloths. “How did you find this place?” he asked looking around in awe. 

“Marissa suggested it. It’s nicer than she described,” he said, making sure to say the name rather than just ‘a friend from chorus’ and made a point that he had never been here before. He would cater to Sam’s discomfort about Brady to a point, after all, and had intentionally not taken him somewhere that he’d been with him. He wouldn’t go so far as to quit chorus or ask Brady to, but the little things he could do. 

Dinner passed without event, unless one counted them feeding each other dessert, laughing all the while, and the many kisses stolen during the meal, and Gabriel drove them to the theatre next. When Sam’s arm slung over the back of Gabriel’s seat, the shorter man quickly leaned into his boyfriend’s side, leaning his head on Sam’s shoulder as Sam’s arm tightened around him. All in all, it was a perfect first date and when they got back home, Gabriel immediately swept Sam into a passionate kiss, and Sam instinctively pulled him tightly against him as Gabriel stood on his tip-toes and tangled his hands in Sam’s hair. 

It wasn’t until they felt their erections pressing together that they both stepped back, blushing brightly and breathing heavily. Gabriel got up on his tip-toes again and pressed a quick kiss to Sam’s lips, saying a hasty, “Goodnight Sam,” before making for his room. Sam wasn’t far behind him and they both knew that they were going to do the same thing, but neither of them were ready to go there together yet.


	11. Chapter 11

It was a few days later when Sam was sitting in the kitchen waiting for Gabriel to wake up. If he didn’t hurry up he would be late for class, so Sam went to knock on his door. “Gabriel?” he called, only to get a groan in response. “I’m coming in,” he said, waiting for a response before he opened the door and he could immediately tell by the cold sweat drenching Gabriel’s forehead and the way he was wrapped in the heavy blankets like a lifeline that he was sick. Sam put a hand on his forehead and quickly snatched it away from the radiating heat. “Gabriel?” he asked worriedly. 

“M’sick,” Gabriel groaned, trying to turn away. 

“I know,” Sam said. “Hang on a sec.” Sam rushed into the bathroom and found a thermometer and brought it back. “Open,” he ordered, and Gabriel obediently did so. “102.8. That’s really high,” Sam said chewing his lip. “Maybe we should go to the hospital.”

“Nuh,” Gabriel said. “103.5 hospital. Need rest,” he slurred. 

“Okay. Let me just get you some medicine and water,” Sam said rushing back to the bathroom for some Tylenol, or something stronger if he could find it. He didn’t find any Tylenol but he did find Aleve so he headed to the kitchen for a tall glass of water. “Can you sit up and take this?” Sam asked gently, rubbing Gabriel’s back. 

“Whasat?” 

“Aleve,” Sam told him. 

“2,” Gabriel murmured, knowing that the bottle said one, but two was perfectly safe and would work better. 

“You sure?” Sam asked worrying his lower lip. 

“Uh-huh,” Gabriel muttered as he fought to sit up. Sam hastily set the water and pills on the bedside table and went to help him before taking a second Aleve and handing them to Gabriel, giving him the water once he’d popped them in his mouth. Swallowing them started a coughing fit, and Sam pulled his boyfriend against his side and rubbed his back through it. 

“You okay?” he asked once it was over. 

“Mmhmm. Go t’class,” Gabriel told him. 

“I’m not leaving you like this,” Sam protested. 

“Need notes,” Gabriel pointed out and unfortunately Sam could see his point. Finals were in three weeks. 

“Okay, I’ll tell you what. I’ll go to class and take notes for you, if you promise not to leave this bed until I get back. I’ll go get you some crackers and get you all set up.”

“Kay,” Gabriel said laying back down and starting to drift off. Ten minutes later found a box of crackers, a glass of apple juice, a refilled glass of water, the landline phone, and the bottle of Aleve on the bedside table. 

“You need anything else?” Sam asked. 

“Uh-uh,” Gabriel told him. 

“Maybe…I could borrow your cell phone, so I can check in between classes?” Sam suggested hesitantly. 

“Top drawer,” Gabriel murmured as he felt sleep taking him again. Sam opened the top drawer to find the cell phone only to blush brightly at what else was in there before slamming it closed. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Gabriel’s forehead before he left. 

He had to jog the whole way there, but he made it into class at the last minute before he was late. He took diligent notes and after class was over, instead of going for lunch like usual, he headed for the CVS, as he pulled out the phone and called the landline. “Mph,” Gabriel answered. 

“How are you?” Sam asked concerned. 

“Bout same,” Gabriel slurred. 

“Can you take your temperature for me?” Sam asked. He wanted to make sure it hadn’t gotten over Gabriel’s hospital limit. 

“Sec,” Gabriel said and a minute later he heard the telltale beep of the thermometer. “102.5.”

“Well that’s a little better,” Sam said, more to reassure himself than Gabriel. “Do you need me to bring anything home?” 

“Dunno,” Gabriel said. “Can’t think.”

“Okay. It’s okay. I’ll take care of it. I’ll be home in a few hours,” Sam assured him. He was skipping his film studies group today. At CVS, he bought some flu tea, a few cans of chicken noodle soup, and once the pharmacist told him he could mix Tylenol with Aleve, he bought some of that, and restocked their Nyquil. He also bought some Gatorade at the pharmacist’s suggestion to keep Gabriel hydrated. Needless to say his backpack was quite full as he trudged to his afternoon class, rushing home straight after. 

He quickly did up a cup of the flu tea, dished out a normal dose of Tylenol, and heated up a can of chicken soup and putting it all on a tray before heading into Gabriel’s room. He immediately noticed that the crackers hadn’t been opened and hardly any of the juice or water had been drank. “Gabriel,” Sam said softly, shaking his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Whosa?” Gabriel slurred as his eyes creaked open. 

“You need to sit up and have something to eat and drink and take some more medicine,” Sam told him, helping him to do so, when he struggled. He took his temperature first and it was still about the same. Sam ended up having to feed him and help him drink the tea, his hands were shaking so bad, but thankfully he was too out of it to protest. It took some doing, but Sam got him to drink all of the tea, and eat more than half of the soup and have a little bit of the Gatorade besides so he counted it as a win even as Gabriel started dozing against his side again. Sam brushed his sweaty hair back away from his eyes, pressing a kiss to the top of Gabriel’s head and pulled his book out of his bag and settled in to read. 

Four hours later, he repeated the process, getting Gabriel to eat a little more this time, but just as Sam was about to go pull his desk chair in here to rest in for the night, Gabriel snuggled against him and asked, “Lay w’me?” 

Sam couldn’t help the fond smile that broke out on his face at the idea, and he said, “Okay,” and walked around to the other side of the bed, not wanting to get between Gabriel and the drinks and medicine that he had set up for him. He hadn’t been intending to go to sleep, especially not so early, but apparently worry was exhausting because the next thing he knew it was morning and Gabriel was trying to shuffle out of bed to the bathroom. Sam jumped up and gave him a steadying arm, leaving once he was in there of course, and meeting him back at the door as he came out. 

Gabriel sat heavily on the edge of the bed and grabbed the thermometer Sam handed him, popping it in his mouth. Even as he was taking his temperature, Sam said, “You’re looking a little better today.” 

Gabriel just nodded, before groaning and putting a hand to his head just as the thermometer beeped. “101.3. Much better,” Sam told him. Gabriel reached for the Gatorade and took a long swig, knowing it would be the best to help him stay hydrated at the moment. He couldn’t really remember drinking much yesterday after all. “You feel up to some toast this morning?” 

“Yeah. I think so. Help me to the couch?” Gabriel asked, dying to get out of this room. 

“Are you sure that’s the best idea?” Sam asked.

“I can’t stay in this bed another day or it’s gonna drive me insane,” Gabriel told him. “I’ll rest on the couch. I promise.”

“Okay. Come on,” Sam told him, wrapping his arm around Gabriel’s waist for support, noticing the shiver coming from him as he did. Once he got Gabriel on the couch, the first thing he did was go grab his blanket off his bed and wrap it around him before making some toast and some more of the Theraflu tea. 

“This is nice,” Gabriel said, leaning into Sam’s side as he managed to eat and drink on his own. 

“What is? Being sick?” Sam asked with a chuckle running a hand through Gabriel’s hair. 

“No, not that part,” Gabriel said with his own chuckle that quickly turned into a coughing fit. “Never had anyone take care of me when I was sick before,” Gabriel admitted once he was able to speak again. 

“Never?” Sam asked sadly, and Gabriel shook his head. The most he’d ever gotten was someone bringing him medicine every few hours, and even that was only when the nanny was around. Otherwise he’d been on his own. “Well now you do,” Sam told him, pressing a kiss to Gabriel’s head. 

“Thank you, Sam,” Gabriel said, a little choked up by the gesture. “Maybe we could watch a movie?” Gabriel suggested. 

“Sure. What do you want to watch?” Sam asked. 

“You pick. I’ll probably be dozing through most of it anyway,” Gabriel told him. 

“Uh-uh. You’re sick, you pick,” Sam told him. 

“Okay. Let’s watch The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Gabriel suggested, being a huge fan of Christmas movies and since Thanksgiving was last week, it was perfectly acceptable to start watching them now. 

Gabriel had been right about dozing through the movie, as it wasn’t even halfway through before his eyes were dropping, but not before a quiet, “Love you, Sam,” escaped his lips. He was already too asleep to notice the way Sam tensed up at that statement or turned to look at him. He was also too asleep to notice the way Sam relaxed a moment later, leaning his head against Gabriel’s, and he was definitely too asleep to hear the almost inaudibly whispered, “Love you too,” that he got in return.


	12. Chapter 12

Sam woke Gabriel up a few hours later for some more medicine and to eat and drink something. He had heated up another can of soup and put out some crackers with it and made another cup of the Theraflu, taking his temperature first and breathing a sigh of relief when it was down to 100.6. Sam had figured out Gabriel’s love of Christmas movies, but figured he would be too embarrassed to ask for the more kiddie ones, so Sam just put on Rudolph without a word, not missing the flash of emotion in Gabriel’s eyes as he did so. He pulled Gabriel back to his side as the movie started and Gabriel finished all of his lunch this time before snuggling in. Neither of them mentioned what had been said that morning. 

When he got Gabriel into bed after dinner, his fever was starting to rise again, and Sam was torn. Part of him wanted to sleep here again. Waking up next to Gabriel this morning had been wonderful, but he knew they weren’t exactly ready for that step in their relationship. It was one thing when he was nearly deliriously sick, but he was getting better now. Gabriel noticed his indecision and had the same thoughts, but he figured one more night couldn’t hurt, and he wasn’t exactly better just yet. “You can stay if you want. I might need some help during the night,” he suggested nervously. 

Sam gave his own nervous smile, and climbed into bed next to Gabriel, pulling him tightly against his chest and Gabriel snuggled in before drifting off to sleep. When they woke the next morning, neither of them moved for a good long while, just enjoying the feel of being in each other’s arms. “How are you feeling?” Sam asked softly. 

“Much better,” Gabriel told him, closing his eyes as he felt Sam’s lips on his forehead. 

“You don’t feel like you have much of a fever left,” Sam told him, leaning over Gabriel to grab the thermometer that was on the nightstand and handing it to Gabriel, who obediently popped it in his mouth. “99.6. Almost gone,” Sam said brushing his knuckles over Gabriel’s cheek, and Gabriel had to hold himself back from kissing Sam. Not only were they in bed and it was too risky for things to go too far, but he didn’t want to get Sam sick either. Until his fever was gone, he was still contagious. Granted, so much contact with him while he was sick might get him there anyway, but no reason to make it worse. Instead Gabriel just buried his face in Sam’s shoulder for a moment before he pulled the covers back and pulled himself out of bed, making his way for the bathroom. 

Sam took that opportunity to go out and make some breakfast. He had been getting better at the whole cooking thing, but he still didn’t think he could manage pancakes, which was Gabriel’s favorite. Then again, his stomach might not be able to handle pancakes just yet anyway. Or greasy bacon or sausage, so Sam just did up some scrambled eggs and toast. He wanted to get something a little more substantial into Gabriel’s system today, but didn’t want to overdo it. As he was cracking the eggs, he heard the shower start and he smiled. That was a good sign. It meant that Gabriel was feeling better. 

He had the breakfast and coffee on the table when Gabriel came out and got a bright smile for his efforts, that dimmed a little bit when Sam pulled the coffee away. “You can have the coffee after you drink your tea,” he told him. 

Gabriel huffed at that, but it was half-hearted at best. He loved that Sam cared so much. Gabriel drank the tea and then started eating as he drank the coffee. Once breakfast was over, Sam put on another Christmas movie for Gabriel and said, “I’m gonna go grab your sheets and blanket and head down to the laundromat. You need one of the throw blankets while I’m gone?”

“You don’t have to…”

“You’re not well enough to worry about it, but you don’t need to be sleeping on them like this or you’ll get yourself sick again. This is part of taking care of you,” Sam said sweetly, leaning over to kiss Gabriel’s forehead. 

“Okay. Fine. Just remember this next time you get sick,” Gabriel threatened. “And yes. I would like a throw blanket. Thank you, Sam.”

“Anytime, Gabe,” Sam said pulling out a blanket and tossing it at his boyfriend before going to collect his bedding. “Should I take your phone in case you need something?” 

Gabriel grabbed it off the table and tossed it to him, Sam catching it expertly. “I doubt I will, but it won’t hurt.”

After making sure that the landline phone was in easy reach, Sam headed down to the basement to start the laundry. He was always super paranoid about leaving it there unattended, so he hopped up on the bench and pulled out the book he brought. He had just moved the clothes to the dryer when Gabriel’s phone beeped. He instinctively grabbed it to check it, not dawning on him that Gabriel couldn’t be texting from the landline until he’d already opened the message. ‘Heard you were sick. How you feeling?’ It was from Brady and Sam felt the familiar wave of jealousy well up in him before he forced it down. It didn’t go down far enough to keep Sam from looking through the previous messages, despite knowing that he shouldn’t. 

The first thing he noticed was that Gabriel needed to clean out his phone more often. He had messages in here going back months. The second thing was that this message was the first contact between him and Brady since he had gotten together with Sam a few days ago, and Sam realized that rather than actually call Brady, Gabriel had dumped him over text, and Sam couldn’t help but read the chain. ‘Calling it quits with us. Sorry,’ Gabriel had sent and when Sam checked the time on it, he was somehow unsurprised to see that it had been sent less than ten minutes after Gabriel had left his room that night. The answering ‘finally got your roommate huh?’ made Sam blink in shock a moment. Had he really been that obvious? ‘Maybe. Hopefully,” Gabriel sent back, and Sam couldn’t help but smile at that. ‘Good luck,’ had been the last response from Brady before today, and Sam suddenly felt horrible for reading them. He resisted the urge to read the other messages in Gabriel’s phone. He could maybe talk himself out of trouble for reading Brady’s given the situation, but reading the rest would be even more of an invasion of privacy and he would have no excuses there. He closed the phone and turned back to his book while he waited for the dryer to finish. 

Once it was done, he made his way back upstairs and handed Gabriel his phone. “Brady texted while I was down there,” Sam told him nervously. 

“Oh? What’d he say?” Gabriel asked nonchalantly. 

“What makes you think I read it?” Sam asked. He had no intention of denying it, but the assumption that he did rather threw him for a loop. 

“Because I would have in your place,” Gabriel told him, without a hint of accusation. 

“Right. Yeah. He said he heard you were sick and asked how you were feeling,” Sam admitted. “I kinda…um…”

“Read the rest of my texts too?” Gabriel guessed when he saw Sam struggling with the words. The amused smile on his face took the sting out of the words. 

“Just the Brady ones,” Sam said quickly. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have…”

“Sam, relax. If I’d had anything to hide I never would have handed you my phone in the first place,” Gabriel said with a chuckle. If Sam had been snooping through his things intentionally looking for it, they might have to have a talk, but he hardly expected Sam to resist temptation when it was right there. 

“Still. That doesn’t make it right,” Sam said dejectedly. 

“Look, Sam. If I hand you my phone, you’re free to snoop as much as you want. You go sneaking around with it, we might have an issue, but it’s perfectly natural to be curious. Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay,” Sam said with a still rather sheepish smile. “I’ll just go make your bed back up,” he said. 

“I can do that,” Gabriel tried to protest again. 

“I got it,” Sam told him. “You rest.” It was only a few minutes later when Sam returned and sat next to Gabriel, pulling his blanket wrapped boyfriend tightly against his side. Sam was caught off guard a moment later when Gabriel handed him his phone. “That’s okay,” Sam waved it off. 

“I texted Brady back,” Gabriel told him, not putting the phone back on the table yet. He could see the indecision in Sam’s face and rolled his eyes, opening the phone to his texts and handing it to Sam again, who took it this time. He knew that Sam would continue to wonder if he didn’t, and wanted to make sure that everything was in the open here. He didn’t want suspicion or jealousy to come between them. 

Sam opened the sent text to see ‘Much better. Almost human again. Sam taking good care of me.’ As he was reading it, the phone beeped again and Sam went to hand it back to Gabriel, but Gabriel just leaned over to read it with Sam and Sam opened it. ‘Good. Glad to hear it.’ Sam closed the phone and handed it back to Gabriel. “Why are you being so cool about this?” he asked curiously. 

“Because I know how I would feel if you had been dating someone right up until the moment we got together and basically dumped them for me. It would make me a bit paranoid for a while too. I don’t intend to keep any secrets from you Sam, and as long as you need that reassurance, you’ve got it.”

“You are too good to me,” Sam said with a smile, pressing a kiss to Gabriel’s head. 

“Look who’s talking,” Gabriel replied, snuggling up closer to Sam’s warmth.


	13. Chapter 13

By lunchtime, Gabriel’s fever was gone, though it did make a slight reoccurrence around bedtime, but Gabriel assured Sam that was normal. “It’s because I’m tired and my system is a little weaker. I should be right as rain tomorrow.”

“Okay. Good night, Gabriel,” Sam said kissing his boyfriend softly for the first time since this sickness started. 

“Goodnight Sammykins,” Gabriel said cheerfully, heading to bed. 

Gabriel was glad that it was only Sunday, since he would have an extra day to recover before he had to be back in class. He was also glad that they didn’t have any classes on Fridays, so he only missed one day. He smelled the bacon frying even from the shower and that got him moving, and he made it to the kitchen just in time for the plates to be set on the table, and he kissed Sam soundly in thanks. It was scrambled eggs again, that being one of the only breakfast foods Sam could cook, but it was good enough. “So, about those notes from Thursday,” Gabriel said as he was eating his breakfast. Now that he was back to normal, he needed to get studying. 

“I’ll get them for you after breakfast,” Sam promised, and Gabriel spent the next few hours hunched over his desk, first copying them, then re-reading them. That was how he remembered best after all. He was just glad their math class was on Mondays and Wednesdays. He never could understand Sam’s math notes. They were written in some kind of shorthand that only Sam knew. Sam managed to rouse him for lunch, and then put his foot down at dinnertime. “Come on, Gabe. You need a break. You know them as well as you’re going to by this point. Come watch some tv with me before bed,” he coaxed. 

“Yeah. Okay. Sorry,” Gabriel said rather sheepishly. He had a tendency to go overboard this close to exams. Especially when he had missed a class. He curled up to Sam’s side to watch yet another Christmas movie, and Gabriel said jokingly, “Looks like you figured me out.”

“It wasn’t hard. Just gotta pay attention,” Sam told him with a chuckle. 

“I’ll have to work on being a little less obvious then.”

“Don’t you dare,” Sam said with a laugh, tickling Gabriel’s sides as the shorter man squirmed away. It was halfway through the movie when Sam couldn’t hold back anymore. “So, you said something when you were sick…” he trailed off nervously, hoping that Gabriel couldn’t feel his heart beating out of his chest. 

“I’m sure I said a lot of things,” Gabriel said, feeling just as nervous all of a sudden. He knew what Sam was talking about. He had done it on purpose after all. Wanted it to seem like just a sleepy delirious utterance just in case. 

“You said…you…you loved me,” Sam managed to get out, unable to hide his nerves anymore as his breathing sped up exponentially. 

Gabriel bit his lip so hard it nearly bled as he shrugged his shoulders tightly and managed to say, “Yeah.”

Sam forced a few deep breaths for courage before he said, “You were asleep before I said it back.”

Gabriel couldn’t help the grin that broke out on his face at that. He didn’t have any words right now, but he wrapped his arm tighter around Sam’s stomach in response, and felt Sam’s arm tighten around his back as well. As the ending credits of the movie rolled past, Gabriel looked up and kissed Sam deeply, and Sam pulled him close and returned it with fervor. It wasn’t long before new ground was tread as Sam’s lips trailed over Gabriel’s jaw to his neck and his hand slid up under Gabriel’s sweater, rubbing soft circles over the silky skin on his side. 

Gabriel tilted his head to the side to give Sam a better angle as his own hand slid over Sam’s toned stomach, wanting to go lower but too afraid to take that first step. He shifted slightly, causing Sam’s hand to brush over his erection and he couldn’t help the slight moan that pulled from him. Sam pulled back for a moment before doing it again, on purpose this time and Gabriel made what could only be termed as an encouraging sound, so Sam rubbed harder. That was all, Gabriel needed to make the next move, sliding his hand slowly down over the bulge in Sam’s pants, giving him ample opportunity to stop him, but it seemed that Sam wanted to stop just as much as he did, which was to say, not at all. 

Sam’s lips found Gabriel’s again as he shuddered at the feel of Gabriel’s hand rubbing him and he quickly lost himself in the sensation as he returned the attention eagerly. With Gabriel being sick and Sam taking care of them, neither of them had much self-attention for a few days and it wasn’t long until they both felt themselves getting too close to that edge. “G-gabriel…” Sam breathed out. 

“Don’t stop, Sam,” Gabriel replied, rubbing harder and faster through Sam’s jeans, and prompting his boyfriend to do the same. He kissed him frantically even as he felt himself spilling over and they both gave whimpering moans into each other’s mouths as they came down from the high. When they pulled apart they both had bright blushes staining their cheeks. “Well I should make it an early night. Don’t want to relapse and all. Good night, Sam,” Gabriel said quickly leaning forward for one more kiss. 

“Gabriel,” Sam grabbed his arm before he got far. “I love you,” Sam managed to say. 

Gabriel could feel the happy grin on his face and he leaned down for another kiss. “I l-love you too, Sam.” 

“Goodnight,” Sam whispered, mostly to himself as Gabriel disappeared into his room and Sam sat there with a goofy grin on his face for a while before he headed to his bathroom to jump in the shower.

A week later, Sam got a call from Dean who wanted to know if he was coming home for Christmas. “I wasn’t planning on it,” Sam told him honestly. “I know Dad doesn’t want to see me. You’re the only person I have there anymore, and Gabriel has no one, so there’s not much point in making such a long expensive trip to see one person.”

“So, you and Gabriel are still joined at the hip huh?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah. Actually…um…Gabriel and I are kind of…um…together now,” Sam stammered. 

“You’re what? How did that happen?” Dean asked. “Did he wear you down or something?” 

“No! Nothing like that. He never said a word since he thought I was straight. We didn’t get together until I kinda…blew up at his boyfriend and it kinda came out that I liked him,” Sam admitted. 

“Wait, you mean you’re gay?” Dean asked shocked. “Since when?”

“I’m not gay. I’ve always been a little bi though, and Gabriel…he’s just…special,” Sam finished with a blush, only then noticing that Gabriel had come into the room and was looking at him with a loving glint in his eyes. 

“Dude, you really got it bad,” Dean said with a chuckle. He could process later. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake he’d made when he found out Gabriel was gay and risk pushing his brother away again. “Well as long you make sure to call me on Christmas at least, I’ll let you get away with not coming home.” He did need to get off the phone so he could process so he was cutting the conversation a little short. 

“I will, Dean. I promise,” Sam said as he hung up. 

“You told your brother about us?” Gabriel asked, despite knowing the answer to that question, as he walked over and ran a hand through Sam’s hair. 

“Yeah. I figured he should know. You don’t mind do you? I mean, if word gets out back home…” Sam asked suddenly worried. 

“I don’t care. Fuck those assholes. I have you, and that’s all that matters,” Gabriel told him. It was amazing how such a little thing like telling his brother could make it all seem so much more real. “I love you, Sam,” he said softly, having gotten a lot more comfortable with saying so over the last week. 

Sam pulled Gabriel down into his lap. “I love you too, Gabe,” he said kissing his boyfriend deeply. 

“You didn’t tell him we were married though,” Gabriel teased. 

“I figure I’ll save that for when he’s actually processed this part,” Sam joked. “No need to give him a coronary all at once.”

“Oh, so you’d rather he go slowly?” Gabriel teased getting tickled in response. 

Sam sobered quickly though. “About that whole married thing…I mean…are we really now or…”

“Well we are technically married. We just happen to be dating too. If you mean are we going to stay married after school, I think it’s a little too soon to be deciding that, don’t you think?” Gabriel said ignoring the panic that welled up in him at the thought of being married for real. 

“Yeah. Of course, I just…kinda forgot about it, and then…I mean, things are different now…”

“It doesn’t change anything Sam. We might as well forget about it for now. I shouldn’t have even brought it up,” Gabriel told him. 

“But you’re right, Dean does need to know,” Sam replied, forgiving him for bringing it up. 

“Yeah, but just try not to let it mess up what we’re building here. It’s still only on paper until we’re ready for it to be more,” Gabriel told him. 

“That makes sense,” Sam said, very glad to hear that. He wasn’t ready to be married for real either, after all. He just worried that Gabriel had been thinking of it differently when he brought it up.


	14. Chapter 14

It was a few more days before Sam heard from Dean again, and the first thing his brother said when he answered the phone was, “I don’t think I said it before, but congratulations, and I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Thanks Dean. Really. But there is something else you should know,” Sam said nervously. Gabriel hit save on the paper he was working on and came over to sit next to Sam for moral support. 

“What’s that?” Dean asked warily. 

“Well, first you need to know that getting financial aid for school without a parent to co-sign is a nightmare. Really, unless you’re a foster kid, there’s only one way to do it…”

“What did you do, Sam?” Dean asked suspiciously.

“Gabriel and I got married. Not long after Dad kicked me out. So, we could get financial aid,” Sam said very quickly. There was silence on the other end of the line for a very long time. Sam could almost hear Dean fuming and trying not to lose his shit. “Dean?”

“I’ll call you back,” Dean said tightly, and the line went dead. 

“Well at least he didn’t lose it at you,” Gabriel tried to look at the bright side. 

“Yet,” Sam said pointedly. 

“Sammy, if he was going to take it out on you, he would have right then. He wouldn’t have gotten off the phone to deal with it. He would have just let you have it. That means that he will deal with it, he just needs to process first. It’ll be okay,” Gabriel assured him, desperately hoping he was telling the truth. Dean was the only family either of them had now, and he hoped that they wouldn’t be losing that. When Dean didn’t call back right away, Sam just sat there staring at the phone, so Gabriel said, “Come on. Let’s watch a movie. He’ll call when he calls.” They could push their homework back just this once. 

The first movie was already over and Gabriel was considering starting a second one when the phone rang again and Sam practically dove over the table for it. “Dean?” he asked as soon as it clicked on. 

“Okay, I’m going to say this. I don’t like this. At all. But I get that you did what you had to do, and it was Dad that put you in this position. I’m coming out for Christmas,” he said firmly. 

“But Dad…”

“Can shove it up his ass, and I already told him as much,” Dean said. 

“You didn’t tell him about…”

“No. I didn’t tell him you were married. You know how he goes running off at the mouth. Telling him would be like telling the whole town, and I’m sure you don’t want that,” Dean told him. His dad was probably pretty confused about why all this was coming to a head now, of all times, but oh well. He could just keep being confused. It wasn’t like they ever actually celebrated Christmas anyway, unless he considered getting drunk off his ass and buying crappy presents from a truck stop Christmas. He was going to have a nice Christmas with his brother if it killed him. 

“Okay,” Sam said with a deep nervous breath. “When are you coming?” 

“You get out for the holiday on the 14th right?” Dean confirmed. 

“Yeah,” Sam replied. 

“Then I’ll be there then. Not like I would pass up the end of term parties,” he joked, a little more tensely than normal. 

“Okay. I’ll leave a key to the apartment with the landlord for you in case you get here before we get done with our finals,” Sam told him. 

“Okay, Sammy. See you soon,” Dean said before hanging up. 

Sam turned to look at Gabriel with wide eyes. “It’s all good, Sam. He’s just coming to make sure everything’s on the up. He’s your brother. It’s kinda his job. Everything will work out. I promise,” Gabriel said with a lot more surety than he felt. Inside he was feeling the way any prospective lover would feel meeting the family, but it was heightened quite a bit by the screwed-up situation they had going for them. He knew he was going to be getting a massive third degree and would be spending the holiday getting sized up by macho big brother and he was much more nervous than he would let on to Sam. “You know what this means though?” he said with a smile. 

“What?” Sam asked, still rather dumbfounded. 

“It means we can’t wait until after finals to decorate for Christmas,” Gabriel said cheerfully. If there was one good thing about this situation it was that. He was very much looking forward to his first real Christmas with someone who cared about him, but Sam had said that it would be silly to take time away from studying to decorate when they could just as easily do it after finals. Gabriel hadn’t let on that he was disappointed about it, not wanting to pressure Sam over it, but he was glad he had an excuse to decorate early now. 

“Okay. We’ll go shopping this weekend for decorations and stuff,” Sam acquiesced. It would give him something to do at least. 

“Good. Now come on. I know you’re not as far as you need to be on your final paper for Wainwright’s class. Let’s get back to work so we can spare the time this weekend,” Gabriel told him and they both headed back to their computers. They worked much later that night than they usually did to make up for their two hour break to deal with family drama, but eventually even Gabriel couldn’t go any longer and pulled Sam over to the couch for some cuddle time. 

As usually happened, things quickly got out of hand, and it didn’t take long before Gabriel was lying back on the couch, Sam over top of him, unbuttoning his shirt as their tongues danced in each other’s mouths. They had rubbed each other off fairly regularly, but there had never been any clothes shed. Not even shirts, so this was definitely new territory and Gabriel found himself rather tense about the idea, but not for the normal reasons. Sam noticed his tension though and his hands stilled, and he pulled out of the kiss. “You want to stop?” 

“I…um…it’s not that…it’s just…” Gabriel stammered. 

Sam put a little distance between them, but didn’t move off of Gabriel as he reached out a hand to run through Gabriel’s hair. “Just what, Gabe?” he asked breathlessly, trying to keep his libido in control. 

“Well I told you how I was in the hospital after I came out to my family…well…I kinda have some scars and…”

“And you’re self-conscious about them?” Sam finished seeing that Gabriel was at a loss for words. Gabriel just nodded embarrassedly and looked away. “You know you’ll always be perfect to me,” Sam said gently. “Let me see?” he coaxed, and only when Gabriel nodded did he resume unbuttoning his boyfriend’s shirt, kissing him deeply again, wanting to see it all at once, rather than just a little at a time. Once Gabriel’s shirt was open and slid off his shoulders, Sam pulled back to look, holding in the gasp that threatened to escape at the mass of scars over Gabriel’s chest and stomach and around his sides. In reality, it wasn’t as bad as it seemed at first glance. Just the shock of seeing it at all, made it seem worse. There were about five criss-crossing scars over his chest, two of them going mostly down his stomach and two more of them curling around his sides, and then there was the one long scar down the center of his chest that looked more like a surgical incision. 

By the time he finished his perusal, Gabriel was squirming uncomfortably, so Sam just leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the uppermost point of the scars and started trailing his lips over it, and he could feel Gabriel relaxing under his ministrations. By the time he started on the second scar, their erections were back full force, and the third had Gabriel’s hands running through Sam’s hair and over his back, pulling Sam’s t-shirt off in the process. By the time Sam was kissing over the first of the scars leading to Gabriel’s stomach, he knew exactly where he wanted this to go. Assuming Gabriel was willing of course. 

Sam’s hand rubbed over the large bulge in Gabriel’s jeans as he started over the last scar, trying to work up his own nerve, and by the time he finished, he looked up at Gabriel, hooking his fingers around the button of Gabriel’s pants and hopefully, and a little nervously, asked, “Keep going?” Gabriel nodded so hard Sam was half surprised his head didn’t fall of, so he slowly undid Gabriel’s pants, sliding his hand inside to take him in his hand. Sam’s breathing increased exponentially at the guttural moan that pulled from Gabriel as he stroked him lightly. 

Sam slid Gabriel’s hard length through the front of his boxers and just stared at it for a long moment, stroking slowly, as he watched the pre-cum bead at the tip of the throbbing purple head and he felt his breath catch as it started slowly rolling down. Sam dipped his head and allowed his tongue to catch it and follow the trail back up as Gabriel’s hand tightened in his hair and he gave a whimpering moan. Sam was surprised at how much he enjoyed not just Gabriel’s reactions, but the taste as well. He had mostly been intending this as a favor to Gabriel, but it became so much more than that as he could feel his own cock throbbing in his jeans begging for attention. 

When Sam’s lips wrapped around the tip of Gabriel’s aching erection and slid down, even as his hand was still working what he couldn’t fit in his mouth, Gabriel knew that he was about to embarrass himself by how short this was going to be, but damned if he could even think of holding himself back as he instinctually thrust up into Sam’s waiting mouth. When Sam gagged and pulled back a bit, Gabriel gasped out a, “Sorry….sorry…please…don’t’ stop.” He was already so damn close. Sam dove back in, and Gabriel forced himself to keep his hips still as Sam experimented with his tongue and his hand, and suction, and it was no time at all before Gabriel was crying out his release, not even thinking to warn Sam. 

Sam swallowed as much of what Gabriel spilled as he could, but he couldn’t get it all, and some of it dribbled out over Gabriel’s stomach, but it didn’t stay there long as Sam was licking it up while Gabriel breathed heavily, coming down from his high. Gabriel pulled Sam up into a kiss, and he could taste Sam’s desperation in it, and that was when it dawned on him that Sam hadn’t gotten off yet. He had been so lost in what Sam was doing to him that he hadn’t even considered it. He flipped them over and started kissing and licking down Sam’s chest and whispered, “Can I?” as his fingers teased over the button of Sam’s jeans. 

“Oh, god, yes,” Sam panted, exceedingly happy that the favor was going to be returned. Gabriel popped the button and quickly pulled Sam’s length out, his own nerves nearly getting the better of him. Since he’d just gotten off, his own hormones weren’t exactly pushing him forward the way they had been Sam, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to. “Gabriel,” Sam whined, squirming and pressing his hips up towards where Gabriel was hesitating, so he just plunged in, fully ready to pull back when he felt Sam’s hips thrust up. “Oh god, Gabriel, please,” Sam begged as Gabriel’s lips left his cock at that. Gabriel leaned back down, a little slower this time, and no sooner than he gave a hard suck, Sam’s hand was tightening in his hair and he was crying out his own release. Gabriel, too, did his level best to swallow all he could before licking his way back up Sam’s stomach and kissing him deeply. 

Gabriel felt the warm smile break out on his face as he lay down, half on top of Sam, half leaning against the back of the couch as his head rested on his boyfriend’s shoulder and his finger’s danced over the exposed chest beneath him. “I love you, Sam,” he whispered. 

“I love you too, Gabriel,” Sam whispered back, tightening his arm around Gabriel, and neither of them noticed when they fell asleep, just like that, shirtless and pants undone on the couch.


	15. Chapter 15

They easily found a new favorite form of stress relief in the last week and a half leading up to their final exams and Dean’s visit, though neither of them could say which was the more stressful of the two. They had gotten all the Christmas decorations up that weekend, and the apartment looked amazing, even if Gabriel did go a bit overboard on the shiny tinsel. Sam was at least able to moderate it enough that it still looked on the heavy side of nice instead of like a tinsel factory threw up in the apartment. They had both snuck off to do their Christmas shopping, separately, though Sam did help with Gabriel’s gift to Dean at his boyfriend’s urging. Sam could tell that Gabriel was trying his best to impress during this visit, and he might have found it amusing if he wasn’t so on edge about it himself. 

Dean would be staying until after New Years, giving a day or two to get over the resultant hangover and leaving them the last week of their vacation alone. By the time they got home after their last final, Dean hadn’t gotten there yet, so Sam picked up the key from the landlord and called Dean’s cell when they got up to the apartment to let him know they were back and to just come on up when he got there. Dean told him that he was about two hours out still, so Gabriel decided a little distraction was in order. They had both gotten a little better as far as staying power since their first blow-jobs, but there was still no way they could last two hours, so they didn’t have to worry about interruptions, and they were sure this apartment would get rather small over the next two and a half weeks, so they should get it in while they could. 

Of course, Sam was hoping that Dean would have his share of co-eds to chase and bars to stake out, but since he was in protective big brother mode, there was no telling what he would do. He and Gabriel had gotten along pretty well back in Kansas, but that was when Gabriel was just a friend and roommate. Boyfriend and husband was a whole different story and it was hard pressed to say which of the two boys was more nervous. Sam had decided that he wasn’t going to stand back and let Dean abuse Gabriel though. Not even verbally. He would step in and stand up to his big brother if he had to. 

Little did he know, it would come to that right off the bat, though the outcome was far different than he would have anticipated. Dean stepped in, dropped his bag, gave Sam a quick hug and then had Gabriel pinned against the wall, hands fisted in the front of his shirt. “You’re taking advantage of my little brother,” he snarled. 

Sam was frozen in shock for a good second before he rushed forward to pull Dean back, but Gabriel help up a hand for him to stop, and only his surprise at that had him doing so. Before he could decide whether to step in anyway or let Gabriel handle it, Gabriel was talking. “I got it, Sam,” he said before turning to Dean. “I am not in any way taking advantage of anyone. Especially not Sam. Anything that has happened between us has been fully consensual.”

Gabriel was doing his best to keep his fear under wraps and put on a strong front here. He got the feeling he was being tested somehow, and had no intention of failing, even as Dean growled out a, “You’re sleeping together?”

“That’s none of your business,” Gabriel said with forced calm. “If Sam wants you to know, he can tell you.”

Dean held the little pipsqueak’s eyes for a long time, looking for something. He could see the fear there, of course, but that was to be expected. But he could also see determination there too. He could tell by his reaction that he wasn’t about to back down or go running at the first sign of trouble. He would fight for Sam even when it scared him shitless and that was all Dean needed to see. He loosened his fists, and patted Gabriel’s chest in an accepting manner. “Good enough.”

Unfortunately, he hadn’t taken into account his brother’s reaction and as he let go of Gabriel and turned around, he caught a right cross to his jaw that nearly laid him out. “Don’t touch him again,” Sam snapped taking a fighting stance, ready for whatever Dean threw his way after that. 

Dean just straightened back up and chuckled. Seemed that Sam would fight for the kid as well. Sam had never hit him like that before. Sure they had tussled and stuff as kids. They were brothers after all, but Sam had never thrown a punch like that at him at all, much less outside the heat of the moment. He liked what it said about them, and finally came to accept the fact that they might actually be good for each other. “Fair enough,” Dean said. “Now grab me some ice for my jaw, slugger.”

Sam just relaxed his fighting stance and gaped at his brother for a second completely lost as to what was going on. It wasn’t until Gabriel came over and handed Dean an ice pack that he was pulled out of his stupor and rushed over to Gabriel. “Are you okay?” he asked running his hands over Gabriel’s arms as if looking for injuries. 

“I’m fine, Sammykins,” Gabriel chuckled, finally sure that everything would be okay. “I’m not quite that fragile.”

“Still. You shouldn’t have had to…not after your family…” Sam spoke cryptically, not sure if Gabriel wanted Dean to know. 

“It’s okay, Sam. Really. He was just testing me,” Gabriel told him. “He wouldn’t have actually hit me. Not badly anyway. Not like them. I’ve seen real hate looking at me, and he just didn’t have it.” If he had, Gabriel probably would have wet himself, but he knew the difference. 

“What did your family do?” Dean asked cautiously, having put together some of the pieces. 

“Dean…” Sam tried to warn him off, but Gabriel had other ideas. 

If this was the only family they had left, and was accepting their relationship, he had no intention of keeping secrets. “They beat me half to death and dumped me in the ER with nothing. I was in the hospital for two weeks and had to have emergency surgery to save my life,” he said matter-of-factly. 

Dean suddenly felt sick. Sam’s response suddenly made much more sense now, but judging by the look on Sam’s face, he hadn’t quite heard the whole story either. At least not like that. He must have known something though, and now Dean felt like the monster. It was a wonder the kid hadn’t turned into a puddle of goo the second Dean touched him, and he found his respect for Sam’s boyfriend/husband growing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Gabriel brushed it off. “Like I told Sam. I could see the difference. Worst case scenario, you might have roughed me up a bit, but you wouldn’t have gone as far as they did. You don’t have it in you.”

Dean recognized the fact that Gabriel just wanted to drop the matter, so he just nodded in response and changed the subject. “So where are the good end of exam parties?” Dean asked. 

“No idea,” Sam said with a shrug. “Maybe try one of the frat houses. Gabriel and I were just going to stay in and enjoy the fact that we don’t have any deadlines for once, so we can relax.”

“You do realize that you’re in college, right? And college people are supposed to party?” Dean asked incredulously. 

“Maybe. But these college people are exhausted, and had two grueling finals today, so are going to spend the rest of the night vegging out, watching movies, and eating our weight in popcorn. I can point you to the nearest frat house, if you want?” Sam suggested. 

“And bail on you the second I get here?” Dean asked. “Not gonna happen. I’m sure there will be more parties tomorrow night anyway since it’s a Friday.”

“Yeah. Some unlucky bastards still have another final or two tomorrow,” Gabriel told him, grabbing a second bowl for popcorn, figuring Dean wouldn’t want to share with them, and not particularly wanting him too anyway. “Guest has first pick of the movies then.”

Dean walked over to their movie collection and whistled appreciatively at the selection before deciding that you couldn’t go wrong with the classics and popped in the first Star Wars movie. It was a relaxing and enjoyable evening after the rough start, and Dean couldn’t help but feel even better about the situation when they mentioned he would be sleeping on the couch. He knew there were two bedrooms so that meant that they weren’t actually sharing a bed, which made him feel a little better about turning a blind eye when Sam disappeared into Gabriel’s room for about an hour before sneaking back to his own. He was sure if they were sleeping together they would be sharing a bed, so at least he didn’t have to worry about that.


	16. Chapter 16

Over the course of the visit, Dean had hit his fair share of bars and parties, and gotten an inside look at more than one dorm room, but he still spent plenty of time hanging out with Sam and Gabriel, despite the fact that they were total dorks and barely partied at all. He even resisted the urge to make fun of Gabriel for his extracurricular activities of dance, drama, and chorus. Well, make fun of him TOO much anyway. Some was just unavoidable, but the little blonde took it in stride with his own ‘neanderthal’ comments in response. Gabriel took great pleasure in wrapping his comebacks in big words that went right over Dean’s head, which had the added bonus of sending Sam into fits of laughter, but there was never any heat in their teasing. It was all in good fun. 

When Christmas rolled around, the three of them had a quiet Christmas eve, watching a marathon of Gabriel’s favorite Christmas movies, since he was the only one that really had any favorite Christmas movies, and on Christmas morning, they all gathered around the tree, sitting on the floor at Gabriel’s insistence, and ignoring the roll of Dean’s eyes. Dean handed his presents out first, not wanting to feel bad if they got him better stuff than he did them. He didn’t exactly have a whole lot of money, after all. Gabriel opened his first, just a small envelope, more than a little nervous about what it could contain, before breathing a sigh of relief as he saw that it was a gift certificate for a full overhaul of his car. “I noticed your car wasn’t exactly the best. I mean, it’s not bad, but it could probably use some work. I could do it myself if you ever come back to Kansas, but I got in touch with a friend of a friend out here and made an exchange so he can do it too if you’d rather,” Dean explained, hoping the gift was well-received. 

“Thank you, Dean. Really. It will definitely come in handy. Not sure about going back to Kansas for it though, but we’ll see,” Gabriel told him. He wasn’t going to write it off immediately. If there was anyone he would trust with his car it would be family, but that place had a lot of bad memories associated with it too. 

Dean nodded and looked to Sam who opened the small box he’d been given to find a cell phone. “Thanks Dean. Really. I’ll see about getting some kind of plan for it after the holidays.”

“You have a little time. Keep looking,” Dean told him, and Sam dug a little further into the box to find a phone card good for thirty days. After another thanks from his brother, Gabriel handed his out next, just as nervous as Dean had been. Sam let Dean open his box first, knowing that was the reaction Gabriel really needed to see first, and his could soften the blow if needed, not that he thought it would be. Dean had been dying to get one of these since they came out last year, but never could afford it. Dean opened the box and his jaw dropped to find the newest model, top of the line, scan tool for engines that even had software for classic cars too. “This is amazing!” he said excitedly, actually hugging Gabriel, who let out a relieve chuckle. Sam had said it would be perfect, but he was still worried about it. To his mind it would be like getting him a textbook. Something to use at school, but Sam assured him that to Dean, cars were also his hobby, and he would kill to get his hands on that machine. 

Sam opened his present from Gabriel next, a little taken aback by the large box. “I thought we agreed that the computer you bought me when we moved into our first apartment was a combined birthday/Christmas/wedding present?” he said narrowing his eyes at his boyfriend. He had expected a little something due to the change in their relationship. Little being the operative word. 

“Which is all well and good for a roommate and friend, but not for a boyfriend, so just open the thing already,” Gabriel said with a laugh. 

Sam opened the box and looked in confusedly before pulling out a full set of scuba gear, and then another full set of scuba gear. “Gabriel?” 

“Well you mentioned that scuba diving might be fun and since we live so close to the beach, I signed us up for scuba lessons,” Gabriel told him. 

“But all this equipment…what if we don’t like it?” Sam asked. 

“I got it on a rent to own deal. If we don’t like it, we just return it. No questions asked,” Gabriel said with a shrug. “What do you think?” he asked nervously, still waiting for a real response. 

“I think it’s perfect,” Sam said pulling Gabriel into a kiss, that was only broken up by Dean clearing his throat when they seemed to forget their audience for a moment. He had gotten more used to seeing them kiss to some degree, but there was such a thing as too far in front of company. They both pulled back, blushing, and Sam decided to hand out his own gifts to distract from the embarrassment. He handed Gabriel an envelope and Dean a medium sized box. Gabriel opened his first, and grinned at it before nearly jumping on Sam in glee. “You like it then?” Sam asked with a chuckle. He’d been operating on a low budget, but hoped it would go over well. 

“Are you kidding? A food tour of the best desserts in the Palo Alto area? It’s like a dream come true!”

Dean raised an eyebrow and Sam explained, “Gabriel’s sweet tooth is practically legendary.” That pulled a laugh from Dean as well who turned to open his own gift. 

Dean was almost as excited as Gabriel to see his gift of a lifetime subscription to Hot Rod magazine. He often browsed the magazine when he had time, but rarely actually bought them, having better things to spend his limited money on, but to have his own subscription was amazing. He pulled Sam into a rough hug, ruffling his hair, getting a smack in return as Sam tried to fix his hair that was now sticking out everywhere. 

They watched another Christmas movie before there was a knock on the door. Gabriel checked his watch. Right on time. He went to open the door and ushered the two people in with all the food, handing over a wad of cash before they left. “Gabriel?” Sam asked even as the wave of aroma washed over him, making him very hungry. 

“Well I wanted the whole Christmas dinner experience, but didn’t see the point of spending so much time in the kitchen for three people, but it turns out you can have this sort of thing catered, so whala! Traditional Christmas dinner without all the hassle,” Gabriel said with a grin as he started unwrapping the ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, candied yams, green beans, rolls, and set the pumpkin, chocolate, and apple pies in the oven to keep them warm for dessert. 

“You don’t honestly think we can eat all this?” Sam asked incredulously, even as he put his arm around Gabriel kissing his temple in thanks. 

“Today? No. But that’s what leftovers are for,” Gabriel quipped, grabbing the plates from the cabinet and handing them out. “Dig in.” He’d wanted to get all the staples, but there was only so small the portions could be, so they would have plenty of food for a while. The three pies were just him wanting to get everyone’s favorite. Pumpkin for Sam, chocolate for himself, and apple for Dean. 

“Dude, I’m gonna have to start spending Christmas with you guys every year,” Dean said digging in with gusto. Sam and Gabriel shared a sweet look, both liking the idea of many more Christmases together, despite the fact that neither of them were quite ready to make that kind of commitment. Dean remained oblivious to that though in the face of all the good food, and it didn’t take long for them to join him at the table for a meal filled with fun and laughter. Just the way Christmas should be. 

Sam and Gabriel let Dean drag them out for a New Years party. Not that they hadn’t been planning to find a party somewhere anyway, but not quite as raucous as the one Dean picked. Dean had even talked them into drinking, but combined with the fact that neither of them had ever drank a drop before, and the fact that they were drinking sweet drinks that got them drunk much faster, it was a good thing for them both that Dean’s guilt at his part in it and his overprotective brother instincts kicked in, and he forcibly sent them to different rooms for the night. If his little brother was going to lose his virginity, it wouldn’t be like that. Not on his watch. Needless to say, they were all nursing hangovers the next morning, and Sam and Gabriel were cursing Dean up and down…very quietly though.


	17. Chapter 17

The rest of the holidays were peaceful, and Sam and Gabriel were ecstatic when they got their grades back just a few days before classes started back up. They had both managed to pull straight As. Their relationship moved on, getting stronger and stronger by the day, but they still hadn’t crossed that final line yet. Sam was intending to try for Valentine’s Day though, if Gabriel was willing. He knew it was super cliché and all, but he still liked the idea. It was that or their three month anniversary a few weeks later. 

Gabriel, as Sam had expected, went all out for Valentine’s Day, taking him to a top notch restaurant, followed by a showing of Phantom of the Opera. Sam had given Gabriel a large box of chocolates and Gabriel had given Sam a giant teddy bear, mostly as gag gifts, though Gabriel did greatly enjoy the chocolates anyway. The packaging was just a little over the top. Once they got back to the apartment, neither of them wasted any time pulling the other in for a passionate kiss. When they broke for air, Sam whispered, somehow keeping his voice steady, “Come to bed with me?” 

Gabriel could tell by the tone of his voice that he meant for more than they usually did, and he felt his heart-beat speed up rapidly at the thought. “You mean…BED, bed?” 

“If you want to…I mean…I’m ready if you are,” Sam said biting his lip nervously. 

Gabriel took a minute to think about that. He was scared, yeah, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t ready. If it was anyone else, he would never have considered it, but this was Sam though. The man he loved. For Sam, yeah. He was ready. He couldn’t quite get any words out though so he just nodded and pulled Sam in for another kiss. Sam moved his hands down Gabriel’s back, over his ass, and pulled on his thighs and Gabriel got the hint and hopped up, wrapping his legs around Sam’s waist as Sam carried him into the bedroom, not breaking the kiss. 

They collapsed into the bed, and Sam’s lips trailed over Gabriel’s jaw to his neck even as he started unbuttoning Gabriel’s shirt. At least until the tie kept getting in the way and he stripped it off impatiently, them having already shed their jackets in the hall. It didn’t take long for them both to be down to their boxers and they were still in familiar territory as lips and hands danced over each other’s bodies. They had been down to their boxers together more than once, but never completely naked and they were both impatient and scared of going farther. 

Sam slowed down, knowing that he needed to be gentle this time, and forced the urgency from his actions even as his cock was nearly begging for attention as he trailed his hands softly down Gabriel’s sides, hooking his fingers in the sides of Gabriel’s boxers. “Keep going?” he asked, hoping against hope that Gabriel wouldn’t tell him to stop now. Gabriel nodded and Sam slid them off, followed by his own before sliding back on top of Gabriel rubbing their leaking erections together as he kissed him slow and deep. 

Gabriel’s legs wrapped around Sam, pulling him down harder as he reveled in this new sensation for a moment before he felt his leg being nudged away and his breath hitched as he spread his legs, giving Sam access to his virgin hole. He was barely breathing at all as he felt Sam slide a long finger inside him as he struggled to keep breathing. He’d never even gone this far alone. Sam’s finger was the first thing that had ever been inside him, and it was both amazing and terrifying. 

Sam’s breath hitched too at the tight heat around his finger and his cock twitched in anticipation as his lips moved to Gabriel’s neck. “You good, Gabe?” he managed to ask even as his finger slid in and out slowly. 

“Mhmm,” Gabriel murmured as Sam’s lips trailed down over his collarbones and made a path to his nipple, sucking the hard bud into his mouth as Gabriel gave a soft moan and Sam’s finger began to move faster in him. 

Sam wasn’t going to suck him this time because he didn’t want to risk getting him off before the main event, but he knew his boyfriend’s body well enough to know how to push his buttons without going that far, and proceeded to do so. “Ready for more?” Sam asked as a second finger teased around the outside of Gabriel’s hole. He didn’t want to push things too fast and hurt Gabriel more than necessary. He knew that it would hurt a little the first time no matter how well prepared Gabriel was, but he planned to ease as much of that as possible. 

When Gabriel nodded, Sam slid the second finger in, pausing at the hiss of pain it brought, but Gabriel just said breathlessly, “I’m good. Keep going,” so Sam did. Very slowly and gently, but he did keep going and it wasn’t long before Gabriel relaxed. Sam kissed him deeply as he worked towards scissoring his fingers and stretching Gabriel out more, while looking for something at the same time. He knew he found it when Gabriel arched up off the bed with a keening cry of, “Sam!” Sam grinned against Gabriel’s lips and hit that spot again, pulling a whimpering moan from Gabriel, who was now leaking steadily. 

Sam moved his lips slowly down Gabriel’s body, licking up the moisture that had pooled on his stomach as he slid a third finger inside and Gabriel’s hand fisted in Sam’s hair, overwhelmed with the dual sensations of pleasure and pain as Sam’s tongue slid over the head of his cock. Sam knew that Gabriel would need a little more to keep his mind off the burning he was probably feeling now, so he kissed a long sloppy line up Gabriel’s long shaft, swirling his tongue around the tip even as he spread his fingers and started moving them faster, making sure to hit the pleasure button every so often. He never did take Gabriel fully in his mouth, but he did keep plenty of attention on his throbbing member as he got Gabriel as ready as he could get before pulling his fingers out and sitting up on his knees. “With condom or without?” Sam asked, having prepared for either eventuality. 

“Without,” Gabriel said without hesitation. He had considered getting to this point eventually and since they were both virgins in a committed relationship, there wasn’t much point of using one. 

Sam nodded and grabbed the lube to start slicking up his cock liberally before lining up with Gabriel’s entrance. “You ready?” he asked, trying to remember how to breathe himself. Gabriel seemed to be in the same boat as he nodded, and Sam slid in slowly, stopping when he heard the hiss of pain from Gabriel and waiting to see if he would tell him to stop. He didn’t though, and it was only a moment before he was nodding, and Sam was working his way in deeper with short shallow thrusts, nearly in tears from the effort of holding back, but determined to make this as good as possible for Gabriel. 

It seemed like forever before he was all the way in, but once he was he needed a second or he was gonna blow already so he leaned over Gabriel, kissing him slow and sweet, using his thumbs to wipe the tears that had leaked from Gabriel’s eyes. “You okay?” he panted. 

“Yeah,” Gabriel whispered back, kissing Sam again, as Sam threaded their fingers together lovingly, looking into Gabriel’s beautiful golden eyes. 

“I love you, Gabriel,” he breathed out. 

“I love you, Sam,” Gabriel told him, as all traces of nerves and fear finally fled from his body at that declaration. This was real. This was special, and there was nothing more he could ask for from his first time. It was as if some silent agreement passed between them as they looked in each other’s eyes and Sam started moving. Slowly drawing out and back in, switching angles until he hit the right one that had Gabriel arching back up off the bed as his slightly flagging erection returned full force and Sam started moving a little more steady and sure of himself as he sped up just a bit, not wanting this to end so soon. 

He knew even as he tried to hold back that it was a futile gesture. He was so damn close already that he could barely stand it. “Gabriel…” he breathed out. “I’m gonna cum,” he panted as he picked up the pace almost involuntarily thrusting harder and faster, hitting Gabriel’s prostate with each push, which was probably a good thing since he wasn’t in any frame of mind at the moment to consider Gabriel’s pleasure as his own was wracking over his body, and his hands stayed linked with Gabriel’s as his hips reached a frantic speed. 

Between the pressure on the sweet spot and Sam’s stomach rubbing over his cock, that was enough to get Gabriel off and he came with a cry, arching his back even as he felt Sam explode inside him with a keening moan, being milked by Gabriel’s own orgasm until they both collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily. “Wow,” Sam gasped out after a moment before turning to Gabriel and brushing his sweat-slick hair away from his forehead. “You okay?” Sam asked. He’d been a little harder and rougher than he’d intended near the end there after all. 

“I’m perfect. Sore. But perfect,” Gabriel said looking at him with a blissful smile as he curled up in Sam’s arms. “We’re moving into my room where the tv is though,” he added after a few minutes.

“You mean now or…” 

“I’m not moving anywhere right now,” Gabriel said contentedly, and Sam just grinned and held him tighter. He could get behind moving into Gabriel’s room. Definitely.


	18. Chapter 18

A few weeks later, their first wedding anniversary passed without a mention from either of them, though they had made love long into the night, the date hanging unspoken between them. Maybe by the next one they would be celebrating it right. That thought gained traction when Gabriel noticed that Sam pulled his wedding ring out of his wallet where he always kept it and started wearing it on a chain around his neck a few months after they had ‘officially’ moved in together, and he couldn’t deny that he liked what that symbolized. So much so that he did the same. He wasn’t quite ready to make it official yet, nor did he suspect was Sam, but it wasn’t nearly as farfetched as it might have been last year. 

It was a few weeks before the start of their second fall term before that particular bug bit Gabriel and wouldn’t leave him alone. Both of them had been playing with the rings around their necks more and more, sending each other glances as they did so, but neither got up the nerve to bring it up. Gabriel, in a way, felt a little cheated out of the whole experience so he set out to recreate it in a way. He slipped Sam’s ring out from around his neck while he was sleeping and slid out of bed early, going to make a big fancy breakfast like he did from time to time, but not nearly as often as he liked, mostly because Sam was usually the first one awake. 

As he was putting it on the table, Sam stumbled sleepily from the bedroom and plopped down at the table picking up his utensils and getting ready to dig in before Gabriel realized that he may have gone about this the wrong way. There was no going back now though. Sam would soon notice his ring missing and start to wonder, so Gabriel grabbed Sam’s wrists before he could eat and said, “Look first. Then eat,” as he tried to ignore the way his heart was beating out of his chest. 

Sam blinked his eyes a few times trying to get them to focus and then blinked them a few more times trying to make sure that he was seeing what he thought he was seeing before he was sure that the strawberry chunks on his pancakes spelled out the words ‘marry me?’ His eyes snapped up to Gabriel only to find his boyfriend was now on one knee next to his chair, holding up his ring, sans chain, and he said, “Will you stay married to me?” Gabriel bit his lip so hard it nearly bled as he waited for a response from the still half-asleep Sam who just blinked at him for a few more minutes before he reached over and pinched himself, which probably would have made Gabriel laugh if he hadn’t been so damn nervous right now. “Sam?” he almost whined, not able to take the silence anymore. 

His response finally came in the form of Sam’s lips attaching to his, pulling back after a moment for Sam to whisper, “Yes,” and then reattaching as Gabriel climbed in his lap kissing him desperately. 

When they broke for air a few minutes later, Gabriel grinned at him and said, “NOW you can eat your breakfast,” as he climbed out of Sam’s lap. 

“In a second,” Sam said snatching the ring from Gabriel’s hand where it still waited, sliding it on his finger where it belonged. “Now I can eat,” he said with a grin that only widened when Gabriel removed his own ring from it’s chain and slid it on his finger too. 

It took a bit of explaining to their friends that they were married and hadn’t invited anyone, and then that explanation caused a bit of drama with Brady who realized that they had been married while Gabriel was dating him, but the additional financial aid explanation managed to calm that mostly, though Brady still insisted that he should have known, and Gabriel insisted that if they had ever been serious then he would have, but they managed to put it behind them. Sam had gotten a lot better about the friendship between Gabriel and Brady over the almost a year they had been together, not that they were best friends or anything, but they were in the same choral group, and the same dance group, so they were on friendly terms and occasionally hung out together outside of the groups, sometime with Sam, sometimes without, but Sam didn’t mind so much anymore, though Gabriel did still see the need to give him a play by play of the times they hung out alone, just in case. 

As they chose their classes for the new year, and were starting to get into some of the basics of their major, thus having fewer classes together, Gabriel brought up something that needed to be discussed. It might be rather soon, but better than waiting until the last minute. “So, once we get out of school, we need to consider where we’re going to live. I mean, I have my places that I want to work, but I need to make sure we’re on the same page here.”

“Yeah. That makes sense,” Sam said. It was far into the future, but better that they have a plan than not. “I mean, I can do family law anywhere. It’s not the kind of thing that one place is better than another, so we can decide from where you want to work. Just remember that as a lawyer, I would have to get recertified in any state we go to, so once you find a place, we need to park it. Not keep moving around,” Sam told him. He could be flexible, but not if it meant having to re-take a bar exam every few years. His first bar exam on graduation would certify him for California, and he could do one more once Gabriel graduated, for wherever they were going, but barring any unforeseen circumstances that was it. 

“That’s fair. How about I give you my top ten picks, and then we can decide from there?” Gabriel suggested. 

“Okay, but no giving me a list and walking away,” Sam said with a chuckle, knowing that was likely what Gabriel was thinking. His reasoning for picking each one would play a part in Sam’s decision too, whether Gabriel liked it or not. “So, what’s your number one, dream pick?” Sam asked, knowing that Gabriel would already have an answer ready. 

“St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital,” Gabriel told him, not even needing a moment to think about it. 

“I’ve heard of it, but don’t know where it is.”

“Memphis, Tennessee. I mean, I know it’s pretty similar to the culture we left behind in Kansas, but I’m betting that it would be better in the big city. Not quite so much judgement about our lifestyle and all.”

“Why is that your top pick?” Sam asked. 

“Well, partially because they are the number one in the world for pediatric oncology, but they also have a research center which I would love to get involved with too at some point, as long as I can manage the workload on top of patients,” Gabriel told him. 

“Okay. That makes sense. What else you got?” Sam asked. 

“John’s Hopkins in Baltimore Maryland is my second choice, as much because of the name as anything else,” Gabriel said with a shrug, but Sam understood. Going into law wasn’t much different than going into medicine in that area. The name meant status, and could take you places alone. The rest of my picks are just that because of the fact that they are good hospitals that specialize in pediatric oncology,” he said as he rattled off a list ranging from Boston Children’s Hospital to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and anywhere in between, ranging from Ohio to Colorado to Texas to DC. 

Sam wrote down the cities as he went, intending to do some research into them, starting with Memphis, but he threw Gabriel a bone. “I’ll start looking into Memphis first, and as long as you’re right about them being accepting of our life-style there, I’d be good with making that our home.”

Gabriel kissed him in thanks. “Just remember that a lot can change in the ten years before I graduate,” Gabriel reminded him, not wanting him to cement a decision too early, but still wanting him thinking about it. 

“I know,” Sam told him. “I won’t make a final decision until closer to time,” he promised. He’d seen parts of the country changing their opinions on gay couples and hoped it continued between now and then. They were pretty safe from judgement in California, but there were a lot of places, especially in the south, that would likely be slower to change. He only hoped that they did, for Gabriel’s sake. He could see the way his husband’s face lit up at the idea of working at St. Jude’s and wished that for him. He just wasn’t willing to let either of them take any abuse to make it happen.


	19. Chapter 19

Fifteen Years Later:  
After three years getting his feet wet in family law in Palo Alto, Gabriel had graduated top of his class from medical school with his specialization in pediatric oncology and got offered his dream position at St. Jude’s. Sam had to admit that they had gotten a lot better about their reception of gay couples in the last ten years, though it still wasn’t as good as he’d hoped. It wasn’t openly hostile though, so they had picked up and moved to Tennessee. It didn’t take Sam long to re-take his bar exam and get licensed in the state. He had never really stopped studying in his free time, knowing all along that he would have to take another one, so he passed with flying colors and went to work for the state. Since they had graduated from undergraduate school and Gabriel got full access to his trust fund, it wasn’t like money was an issue, after all, so he didn’t have to worry about the low pay. 

The conversation where he found out just how much Gabriel had in his trust fund was definitely one for the record books. Fifty million dollars was a lot of money, however you sliced it and it only took a little bit of arguing for Sam to let Gabriel pay for law school since they were no longer eligible for financial aid after that. Gabriel paid off his loans as soon as the full amount came available and paid for Sam’s law school and his own medical school and it still barely made a dent in the total, so they moved to Memphis with a nice nest egg. 

Money opened doors in both of their careers, not like one would think though. Their superiors, when finding out they were rich, came to the realization that they were in the work for the joy of helping children and no other reason, so they were both fast-tracked for that reason alone. Five years after they had moved there, Sam was head of family law in their county, and Gabriel had his pick of shifts and patients. Their marriage raised a few eyebrows, but people quickly got used to it, even before gay marriage had been legalized in the entire US earlier that year. 

Gabriel’s favorite patient at the hospital ended up being one that had crossed Sam’s desk as well when her parents decided that they couldn’t handle her illness and signed custody of her over to the hospital. It wasn’t unheard of in these cases, but Sam felt his heart break every time one of these already fragile children was abandoned. Due to his husband’s position at the hospital, those cases were always shunted to Sam’s desk, who then passed the info along to Gabriel, who, if he wasn’t already, took over as the child’s primary doctor. 

Gabriel was well known for being the favorite of all the kids he interacted with. He had a way of relating to them and making them laugh with his ever-cheerful demeanor, no matter how bad things got, so it was just an accepted fact that the ones in the worst position, abandoned by their parents on top of their illness, would be best in his care. Given that these were the cases with slim to no chance of recovery there was very little chance of them needing a home outside the hospital anyway, so the hospital as a whole was generally given custody. One case though, Gabriel’s favorite patient, ended up being different. 

Gabriel came home very excited, and pulled his husband into a searing kiss. “Haley’s in remission,” he said cheerfully. 

“That’s amazing! I’m so glad!” Sam said picking Gabriel up and swinging him around. He’d never actually met Haley, but he had processed a lot of paperwork for her, and Gabriel talked about her often. He just didn’t have the strength to meet the kids and get attached just for them to die later, and it amazed him how Gabriel could handle it. It wasn’t that it didn’t affect him. It did. He would often spend hours crying in Sam’s arms when he lost a kid, but he would pick himself back up and go right back the next day, choosing to focus on the ones he could still help, and Sam marveled at his strength. This though, was a day for celebration. It wasn’t often that one of the most hopeless cases got a miracle after all, and he broke out the good wine. 

It wasn’t until halfway through the first glass that Gabriel dropped the bombshell that Sam hadn’t even considered. “Only problem is she has nowhere to go when she gets released,” he pointed out, and Sam nearly dropped his wine as that thought hit him. The hospital was her guardian and legal residence. 

“Of course, she does,” Sam said making a split-second decision that would change his life forever. “Right here.”

“You mean it?” Gabriel asked, eyes lighting up with joy. 

“Absolutely. When will she be released?” Sam asked. 

“Not until Friday. We want to run a few more tests and give her some time to get some strength back before we release her. I can delay it for a few more days if need be though,” Gabriel offered. He was the one in charge of such things after all. 

“Friday is fine. I’ll start on the paperwork as soon as I get in tomorrow,” Sam told him. 

“So, we’re really going to adopt her?” Gabriel asked, wanting to make sure that Sam was sure about this. 

“Well, no. Not yet anyway. A full adoption would involve years worth of red tape, tracking down her parents, and a whole bunch of other stuff that just isn’t practical this fast, but getting us assigned as foster parents will be a piece of cake. Barring any difficulties, it should be official by the day after tomorrow, and only that long because I would have to send it up the chain given that I’m the petitioner.”

“And you’re sure we won’t have any problems?” Gabriel wasn’t sure he could handle getting his hopes up for this one and then having them dashed. 

“I’m positive. My boss has offered many times to help us adopt, so I know she won’t have a problem with us as parents, and for a child in such delicate health as Haley, a doctor for a dad would be the best possible home,” Sam assured him. 

Gabriel blinked a second at the idea of his boss’ standing offer and wondered for a second why Sam had never talked to him about it, but that was a conversation for a different time. “Okay, great. We do need to consider child care though,” Gabriel pointed out. “We both work long hours, so we would need to work something out.”

“That’s not a problem. I can take a leave of absence for a few months and help her get settled and then after that, I can go back with a lightened load, and do most of my work from home. I should only need to go in for court hearings, and we can hire a nurse nanny for those days,” Sam offered. 

“And I can drop my research for now, and just focus on patients, so I can be home more too,” Gabriel suggested, wanting to do his part and not leave it all on Sam. If they were going to be foster parents to a sick child, remission or not, he couldn’t be working sixteen-hour days regularly anymore. 

“Are you sure?” Sam asked. “Your research is important,” he pointed out. 

“I know, but so is Haley, and honestly, I’ve just been spinning my wheels for a while now anyway. Maybe some time away will be a good thing,” Gabriel told him. 

“So, it’s settled then,” Sam said. “I’ll start the paperwork tomorrow and put in for my leave. God knows I haven’t had a vacation in the last five years, so I’m overdue really,” he said with a chuckle. 

“And you should come by the hospital and meet Haley, too,” Gabriel pointed out. 

“Right. Yeah. That might be a good idea,” Sam laughed. He felt like he knew her already from Gabriel’s stories, but meeting her face to face before becoming her dad was rather necessary. “I’ll put the paperwork through in the morning and send it up and then I’ll come by for lunch.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Gabriel said happily, curling up in his husband’s lap wondering how he could have gotten so lucky. What were the odds that this beautiful specimen of a man would be the one to find him wallowing after being kicked out of his house and end up becoming his salvation?


	20. Chapter 20

The next morning, Sam, as promised, immediately put through the paperwork that would allow them to foster Haley, and even placed a phone call to his boss to make sure she got it. That phone call ended up being a lot longer than he intended, due to her excitement and eagerness to process the request immediately. After answering a few questions for the record, and verifying some of the information, such as the fact that his husband was her primary doctor at the hospital, and had been seeing to her care for two years since she was diagnosed, and double checking that all the paperwork was in order regarding the relinquishment of rights by her parents, she assured him that it had her stamp of approval and she was sending it off immediately to be filed. They would be her legal guardians within twenty-four hours. 

The next thing he did was ask about a leave of absence, telling her that Haley was set to be released on Friday. It was rather short notice, but she promised that if he could make sure that Haley was released in the afternoon and could work at least a half day on Friday, she could make sure he got his leave starting Monday. He had twelve weeks of paid vacation saved up, so he would be using that, and he just had to let her know at least three weeks before he was due back if he needed to extend it. He thanked her profusely, sure that Gabriel could arrange Haley’s release time to fit his schedule, and headed out for a long lunch. It would mean working later tonight to make up for it, and probably the rest of the week too, so that things would be in order for his vacation, but it was worth it. 

When he got to the hospital, he headed up to Gabriel’s floor, knowing the layout like the back of his hand by now, and quickly found his husband at the nurse’s desk, going over some charts. He slid up behind him, wrapping his arms around Gabriel’s stomach and whispering, “Hello gorgeous,” in his ear as the nurses giggled at them. 

Gabriel chuckled. “That better be my husband touching me like that,” he teased as he turned around pressing a chaste kiss to Sam’s lips, with regards to their current location. “You’re early,” he said with a hint of a question. 

“Yeah. The paperwork is already put through. Should be official by lunchtime tomorrow, and my leave is all set too, so rather than get started on something else, I decided to take a long lunch and head out here early. Is that okay?” Sam asked hopefully. 

“Well, Haley is having some tests run right now, but she should be back in about fifteen minutes, so as long as you don’t mind hanging out with boring old me in the meantime, it’s perfectly fine,” Gabriel joked. 

“I suppose I’ll have to deal,” Sam teased with a long-suffering sigh. 

Gabriel laughed. “Once she gets up here, I’ll introduce you, but then I’ll have to go take a look at the test results before I join you. Don’t tell her the news until I get back,” Gabriel told him. 

“I won’t. I promise,” Sam told him with a grin. 

When she was wheeled up a few minutes later, Sam followed Gabriel into the doorway, but hung back while Gabriel checked on her. “Hey sweetie. How you feeling?” he asked gently. 

“Okay,” she said with a shrug. “They poked me in my arm again,” she pouted. 

“Did they? Well I’m just gonna have to have a talk with them about that, shall I?” he said amusedly and she giggled. 

“You’re silly, Dr. Gabe,” she told him. 

“Am not. You’re silly,” he said sticking his tongue out at her and she laughed. “So, I brought someone to meet you,” he told her changing the subject and waving Sam forward. 

“Who?” she asked more than a little nervously. 

“This is my husband, Sam,” Gabriel told her. 

“Oh, I know you! Dr. Gabe tells lots of funny stories about you,” she told him as her face lit up.

“Oh, he does, does he?” Sam said with a chuckle sending Gabriel an amused look. 

Gabriel let out his own laugh and reached over to run a hand over her still mostly bald head. “I’m gonna go check out your test results. Don’t go spilling ALL my secrets while I’m gone,” he teased with a tweak to her nose.”

Once Gabriel was out of the room, Sam turned to Haley, glad that she’d opened a door for conversation. “So, tell me more about these funny stories Dr. Gabe tells about me.”

“Well, he said you’re super tall, so you always get your hands caught in the ceiling fan and then you say lots of bad words and hop around like Tigger,” she said with a giggle. “He was right. You are super tall,” she added. 

Sam couldn’t help but laugh at that, and thankfully knew Gabriel well enough that he wouldn’t have told her what those bad words were. “Yeah, that is pretty funny. I keep telling him we should make the ceilings higher, but he doesn’t believe me for some reason,” Sam said with a fake pout, making her giggle harder. “What other stories does he tell?” Sam asked as her giggle fit passed. 

“He told me about the time you walked into the pool with your coffee and newspaper,” she said as her giggles started up again. 

“That was his fault for distracting me when I was half asleep,” he tried to defend himself much to her continued amusement. Not that he would tell her HOW Gabriel had distracted him of course. He made a mental not that they would need to stop walking around the house naked now. 

About that time Gabriel came back in, to find a highly amused Sam and a giggling little girl, and he couldn’t help the grin that broke out on his face. This was working out perfectly. “Guess who’s back?” he announced as he came in the door. 

“The cookie monster?” Sam asked mock-seriously. 

“Nope,” Gabriel said cheerfully. 

“Darn. I wanted some cookies,” Sam pretended to pout. 

“Well, I don’t have any cookies, but I do have…” he paused for dramatic effect, “animal crackers,” he finished pulling three bags out of his pocket and handing them out. 

“I guess it will have to do,” Sam said. 

“It’s okay, Mr. Sam. The animal crackers here are really good,” Haley told him. 

“Are they? Well if you like them, that’s good enough for me,” Sam said theatrically opening his bag and plopping one in his mouth, playing up how much he liked them. 

“Lunch will be up in about twenty minutes, so don’t go spoiling your appetites, Gabriel told them, as if such a tiny bag of crackers could spoil the appetite of anything larger than a mouse. 

“We won’t, Dr. Gabe,” Haley promised as she started nibbling on one of them. 

“So, Haley, Sam came here to meet you for a reason,” he said as he sat down next to Sam by her bed. 

“He did?” she asked. 

“Yep. You remember how we talked about you getting better?” Haley nodded. “Well since you’re getting better you won’t be able to stay at the hospital anymore.” Gabriel quickly continued as he saw her starting to tear up. “Instead, you’ll be coming to live with me and Sam. If you want to, that is,” he added, wanting her to feel like she had a choice in the matter. 

“You mean, you would be like my dads?” she asked almost hopefully. 

“We would love to be your dads,” Sam told her, reaching out to squeeze her hand, mindful of the IV sticking out of it. 

“Would I call you dad or something else?” she asked as she tried to wrap her head around what they were offering her. She didn’t really remember her real parents, having been here in the hospital since she was three. 

“You can if you want, or you can just call us Gabe and Sam. It’s totally up to you,” Gabriel told her with an encouraging smile. 

“I think I want dads. You can be Daddy Sam, and you can be Daddy Gabe,” she said as firmly as a five-year old could. 

“That works for us,” Sam said with a grin as he reached his other hand over for Gabriel’s who took it and gave it a squeeze, looking at Sam with just as much love in his eyes as he had the day they renewed their vows. 

“So, when can I come home?” she asked. 

“As long as you’re good and keep doing what we tell you to, you should be strong enough to come on Friday,” Gabriel told her. 

“Friday afternoon,” Sam corrected and looked to Gabe. “I got my vacation as long as I work a half day on Friday,” he explained. 

“Works for me,” Gabriel told him. “I already arranged to take a half-day on Friday too, so that means we both get to take you home,” he told Haley who just grinned even wider as three trays of lunch arrived. As Gabriel put Haley’s in front of her, he told her, “Now I know you’re not going to be able to eat all of it, but you have to eat at least half okay?”

“Okay, Daddy Gabe,” she said cheerfully as she picked up her fork with shaky hands. Sam started to reach out to help her, but Gabriel shook his head. It was better that she manage on her own as much as she could to work her fine motor skills up again.


	21. Chapter 21

Lunch was spent mostly in silence, neither of them wanting to distract her from the difficult task of eating, but she kept looking up at them like she was afraid they might disappear any second like a dream, and they both gave her encouraging smiles every time she did. By the time she couldn’t eat anymore and pushed her tray away, Sam and Gabriel had already finished eating, and she turned to them, having thought of a hundred questions while she was eating. “What is our house like? Will I have my own room? Can it be decorated like My Little Pony? Do we really have a pool? Can I swim in it?”

Gabriel cut her off with a chuckle and started answering as many of her questions as he could remember. “Yes, you will have your own room, and we’ll decorate it however you want. Yes, we have a pool and yes you can swim in it. We’ll even teach you how to swim yourself when you’re stronger.”

“Just remember you can’t go near the pool without one of us,” Sam told her. “The house is pretty big. It has three bedrooms, and they are all upstairs. One of them will be your room and the other we’ll make into a playroom for you. The downstairs has a living room, kitchen, dining room, and a game room. There’s also a den upstairs and mine and Daddy Gabe’s offices.”

“Wow. That sounds really big!” she said with wide eyes, and Sam remembered that her whole life, outside of being wheeled around for tests, had been confined to this hospital room for as long as she could remember, so it would probably be a little overwhelming for her. “What kind of games are in the game room?” she asked. 

“Well we have checkers like we always play here, and chess which we’ll teach you to play when you’re older. We’ll also get some more of the board games you like from here. We’ll teach you how to play foosball and when you’re bigger, ping pong and pool,” Gabriel explained. “We also have lots of video games too,” he told her despite knowing that she’d probably had her fill of video games here in the hospital, as well as board games, but there would be days that she would be too tired for the more active stuff. 

“Will I get to go to school?” she asked hopefully. 

Sam looked to Gabriel for that determination. “Probably. We’ll have to wait and see how healthy you are when school is getting ready to start,” he told her. 

“I’ll make sure to be good and eat all my vegetables, and do everything you tell me to so I can get strong and healthy. I promise,” she said with a solemn nod. 

“Then I’m sure you’ll be just fine,” Gabriel told her with a tweak to her nose. Sam got Gabriel’s attention and pointed to his watch and Gabriel nodded. “Well we have to get back to work, sweetie-pie, but you know I’ll be back to check in on you often.”

“Will you come back and see me again soon, Daddy Sam?” she asked looking up at him with hopeful eyes. 

“I’ll do my best, sweetie,” he told her. “I have to get lots of work done so I can take my vacation when you come home so I don’t know how much I’ll be able to visit, but it’s only for a few days and then you’ll be coming home and I’ll get to spend all day with you every day.”

“Okay. I’ll miss you, Daddy Sam,” she said easily accepting that explanation and lifting her arms to him, and Sam leaned down to hug her, being very careful of the tubes and wires that she was still hooked up to. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, running a hand over her barely there hair before he left. She had already stolen his heart. Gabriel said his own goodbyes in much the same manner, before he went to walk Sam out. 

“She’s wonderful,” Sam said, smitten, as they headed downstairs. 

“She really is. She reminds me a lot of you,” Gabriel told him. 

“How so?” Sam asked curiously. 

“She has this endless optimism that no matter what, everything will always be okay. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen her sad. In pain, yes, but never sad or hopeless,” Gabriel told him. 

“Well, we’ll make sure she never has a reason to be,” Sam said determined to do just that. 

“That’s the plan, Samshine,” Gabriel told him, kissing him soundly once they got to Sam’s car. “I’ll probably be home a little late tonight. I need to finish up a few things with the experiments I currently have going and then I’m gonna check in on Haley again before her bedtime.”

“Okay. I’ll be working late tonight to make up for the long lunch anyway. I’ll pick up some takeout for dinner?” Sam offered. 

“Perfect,” Gabriel said, giving him one more kiss and slapping him on the ass as he headed back inside.

When Sam finished for the night, he realized he still had about two hours before Gabriel got home so he decided to do some shopping, hoping Gabriel wouldn’t begrudge him doing it alone, but the chances of them getting free time together before Haley came home was pretty much slim to none, so he swung by the children’s store and went nuts. By the time he left to pick up the food an hour and a half later, he had bought a princess bed, with My Little Pony bedding, a pink dresser, a full wardrobe minus shoes since he didn’t know what size she wore, including plenty of my little pony shirts in the mix, a ton of toys, including a large pink toybox, art supplies, and even a large roll of My Little Pony wallpaper. Enough to do her room and the play room, though putting it up would probably have to wait until his vacation started. He arranged for the furniture to be delivered tomorrow when the maid would be there, and would leave a note asking her to show them where to put it. He also bought a little plaque that read Haley’s Room, glad that she had a somewhat common name and he didn’t have to wait for it to be made. 

He got home with the food about ten minutes before Gabriel, and he was still lugging bags of clothes and toys inside when Gabriel pulled up and got out, laughing at him. “Is there anything left in the store?” he asked. 

“Not much,” Sam admitted with a sheepish shrug and Gabriel helped him get everything inside. Sam told him about the deliveries that would be coming tomorrow over dinner. 

“I stopped by the party supply store on the way home and ordered a banner that says ‘Welcome Home Haley’ and some balloons with the same. I’ll be picking them up on the way home tomorrow,” Gabriel told him, admitting to his own shopping trip. He probably would have done the same as Sam if he hadn’t stayed at the hospital so late, but at least that was one thing off the list. After dinner, they spent some time going through the things Sam bought, putting the toys in the playroom, setting up the easel and art supplies, putting the board games away in the game room, and just setting the clothes aside to put away once the furniture arrived, except the dresses that they went ahead and hung up in the closet. When they got to the wallpaper, Gabriel asked, “Do you even know how to put up wallpaper?” 

“It can’t be that hard,” Sam said with a shrug. 

Gabriel laughed heartily. “I’ll call someone to come put it up. Maybe we can even get it done before she comes home.”

The second part of that statement was the only thing that stopped Sam from getting annoyed at Gabriel’s skepticism of his skills. If it could be done before she came home that would be great. The maid was exceedingly glad that there would be a child in the house, and was more than happy to let the furniture guys in and show them where to put everything. The evening was spent putting her clothes away and picking out something for her to wear home. The next day, Thursday, the wallpaper guys showed up and got both rooms done by the time Sam and Gabriel got home that evening. Other than a stop by the shoe store, now that Gabriel had gotten her size, Sam didn’t have anything else to do, so managed a short visit in the hospital before bedtime. 

Friday came with much excitement from all parties. Sam and Gabriel had put up the balloons and streamers and the banner the night before since they weren’t sure if Sam would be off work in enough time to do it before she came home. Sam somehow managed to stay focused enough to get his work finished and get everything set up for the temp that would be taking over for him while he was gone, and come noon, he was barreling out of the parking lot.


	22. Chapter 22

Sam rushed up to Haley’s floor to find Gabriel, once again, at the nurse’s station, this time working on a computer. “We’re just waiting for some final test results to get back, but I have the paperwork ready to process once it’s done. It’ll probably be about two hours,” Gabriel told him.

“Okay. Is she awake? Can I go see her?” Sam asked, knowing that she had a tendency to nap in the middle of the day. 

“She’s still asleep for now, but it’s almost time to wake her for lunch, so I’ll let you do that,” Gabriel told him. “Incidentally, I found out today that there’s a new rumor floating around among the kids that you might find amusing,” Gabriel said trying not to laugh. 

“What’s that?” Sam asked almost warily. 

“Apparently, if they get better they get to come live with Dr. Gabe,” Gabriel said, not able to hold in his chuckle anymore and Sam quickly joined him. 

“What did you say?” Sam asked amusedly. 

“Hey if it gives them the motivation to get better, I’ll gladly take every one of them home if I have to,” Gabriel said, knowing that wouldn’t happen. By the time the kids got to him, there was very little hope left, and most of them had parents they would go home with anyway, but if the thought of it helped them fight, then he wasn’t about to take that away from them. 

“And I’ll gladly let you,” Sam said, leaning over for a chaste kiss as the lunch trays came around the corner. 

Sam waited until Haley’s came and he offered to take it to her. He slipped into her room and put it on the cart before going over and shaking her shoulder gently. She creaked her eyes open, a bit before they flew open the rest of the way when she saw him. “Daddy Sam! Is it time to go home now?” she asked excitedly. 

“Almost, little-bit. Daddy Gabe is finishing up some stuff with your paperwork. It IS time for lunch though,” Sam told her wheeling the tray over. 

“Will it be time to go when I finish lunch?” she asked. 

“Probably not just yet,” Sam told her. 

“But it will be time to go before dinner right?” she asked worriedly. 

“Absolutely,” Sam assured her. 

“Good. I want to have dinner at home tonight,” she said with a fierce nod. 

“And you will, sweetie,” Sam told her, running a hand over her head as he pulled the cover off of her food. “Daddy Gabe says you can eat all your lunch now.”

“Yup. He says I’m getting strong like She-ra,” she said proudly as she picked up her fork to start eating. 

It was a few minutes later before Gabriel brought in another tray for Sam. “I figured you hadn’t had lunch yet in your rush to get here, so I had an extra tray sent up,” Gabriel told him. 

“Thanks, Gabe,” Sam said pulling him down for a kiss, making Haley giggle at them. “What about you?” 

“I’ll just grab a sandwich. I have a lot of paperwork to finish before we get out of here,” Gabriel told him. 

“Then go hurry up with it,” Sam teased and Gabriel chuckled and did just that, kissing Haley’s head before he left. 

When Gabriel got back an hour and a half later, he found Sam sitting on the edge of Haley’s bed, with her curled up at his side, lightly dozing as he read her a story. “You ready to blow this popsicle stand, kiddo?” The cheer that came from her was enough to set Sam’s ears to ringing, as all of her tiredness was completely forgotten in the wake of her excitement. Gabriel laughed heartily at her reaction as he walked over. “First, we gotta get all these icky tubes and wires disconnected first,” he told her. Normally this would be a job for one of the nurses, but Gabriel always tended to be a little more hands on, especially with Haley. “You can wait in the hall if you want,” he told Sam, not sure if he wanted to be there for this part. 

“I’m good,” Sam said stepping up to the side of the bed and holding Haley’s free hand as Gabriel set to removing everything, mostly able to contain his winces when she let out little whimpers of pain. When she was finally free, Sam pulled her clothes out of the bag. “Are you able to change your clothes or do you need some help?” he asked. 

“I think I can do it,” she told him. “But don’t go far?”

“We’ll be right outside the door, so just give a yell if you need help,” Gabriel told her and they left her to get dressed. 

It was a few minutes before they heard a quiet, “Help,” coming from the room and they went in to find that she had her shirt all tangled, and Gabriel rushed forward to help her untangle it and finish getting it on. “I can’t get the pants buttoned either,” she said annoyed. 

“That’s okay. Buttons are hard,” Gabriel told her as he knelt down to help with that too. “You’ll get better with some practice,” he assured her. She had been wearing hospital gowns as long as she could remember after all, so he was proud that she’d gotten as far as she did on her own. Gabriel could tell she wasn’t too steady on her feet and quickly pulled over the wheelchair from the corner for her to sit in. They would be taking it with them since it would probably be a few weeks before she was strong enough to walk around on her own for longer periods. They would gradually work her up to it and Gabriel would leave Sam with some exercises to do with her when he came back to work next week. 

They had decided to take Gabriel’s car home and they would come into work with Gabriel on Monday to pick Sam’s up, so they could all ride together. They got her buckled into the booster seat and the drive home was spent with delightful chatter as she talked about all the cool things she was seeing in her first look at the outside world beyond the hospital windows. Once they pulled into the driveway, and she got her first look at the house, all she could say was, “Wow!”

Sam and Gabriel just chuckled. It was rather grand looking. They had decided to buy big from the off since they had plenty of money, and made sure to get something that they wouldn’t likely need to build onto in their lifetimes. Thankfully, the house had come with a wheelchair ramp so they didn’t need to add one, but the inside was a different story. They would have to carry her up and down the stairs, but since she wouldn’t need the wheelchair for long, there wasn’t much point in doing the major construction to make the inside wheelchair friendly. Sam wheeled her in while Gabriel grabbed the door and she squealed with excitement when she saw the banner and the balloons. “Can I get up and play?” she asked hopefully. 

“As long as you promise to come and sit down when your legs get tired. We don’t want you falling and getting hurt,” Gabriel told her.

“I will, Daddy Gabe. I promise,” she said as she got up and made her way for the balloons. 

It was only about ten minutes before she came over and crawled up on the couch between Sam and Gabriel. “I love it here already,” she said happily. 

“You know the balloons aren’t always in the living room right?” Sam asked amusedly. 

“And you haven’t even seen your room yet,” Gabriel added. 

“Oh yeah! I forgot! Can we go see my room now? Please, please please?” Sam chuckled and picked her up, heading for the stairs, Gabriel right behind him. Once they opened the door and stepped inside her jaw dropped for a minute as she took it all in before she turned and wrapped her arms around Sam’s neck, and started kissing his cheek repeatedly. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This is the best room in the whole world!” 

“Okay, just one more room to see and then we’ll go downstairs and rest for a while before dinner,” Gabriel told her, taking her from Sam when she reached for him, and they walked next door to the playroom, and this time Gabriel was the recipient of her ‘best playroom in the whole world’ affection. 

“Can’t I stay and play for a little while?” she asked hopefully, and Gabriel considered the matter for a moment. 

“You can sit at the easel and do some art, but no more running around today okay? We don’t want you to get sick. Deal?” 

“Deal,” she said with a nod and Gabriel put her down and she walked the few steps over to the easel. 

“I’ll go start dinner, if you want to stay and watch her for a while,” Gabriel told Sam who nodded, and hugged his husband tightly, before he left, unable to contain his own glee at finally having her home.


	23. Chapter 23

Haley, true to her promise, sat and painted quietly, while Sam sat in the only adult sized chair in the room and read his book. Once she was stronger, and he was more used to having her around, he would be more comfortable with leaving her unsupervised within reason, but for now, he wanted to be close, and she didn’t seem to mind, looking over at him and beaming happily every so often. 

It was about an hour later before Gabriel called them down for dinner and she pulled off her page and folded it before Sam came and picked her up, carrying her down the stairs, but then letting her walk to the dining room, where Gabriel was putting the food on the table. He didn’t often get a chance to cook like this, but he did love it when he could, just as much as Sam loved eating it. Once they got to the dining room, Haley asked, “Can I show you what I drew?” 

Gabriel set the last dish on the table and came over, kneeling next to her. “Absolutely,” he said with a grin. Dinner could wait a few minutes. 

She unfolded the picture and made sure they were both looking before she said, “That’s you, that’s you, and that’s me, and that’s our house, and that pink window is my room,” she explained. 

“That’s beautiful Haley. Can I go put it on the fridge?” Sam asked, and she handed it over. Gabriel helped her to her seat while Sam headed into the kitchen to give the drawing the place of honor, moving the grocery list to the side. By the time he got back to the dining room, Gabriel was cutting up Haley’s roast into little pieces for her and Sam dished out some potatoes and green beans for her too. “And if you eat all your food, Daddy Gabe baked a welcome home cake for dessert, and I bet you could talk him out of a piece,” he whispered conspiratorially.

“Yay!” she cheered. They didn’t get cake often in the hospital, but everyone once in a while Dr. Gabe would bring one in for all the kids who could to share, and she knew from experience that his cakes were the best. 

Once Haley’s plate was all set, Sam and Gabriel started making their own as Gabriel asked, “Did you get in touch with your brother yet?” 

“Yeah. He’s gonna try and come out next weekend and stay for a couple weeks to meet Haley and all. At least that’s the plan. You know how busy he’s been at the shop since Dad died though. He said they new guy is working out well enough that he should be able to leave the shop in his hands for a little while. 

“Okay. We’ll pull the cot out of storage and set it up in your office, if you don’t mind that,” Gabriel suggested. “I doubt he would want to sleep in a pink room.”

Sam laughed at the idea. “No, probably not. My office is fine. I won’t be using it for a while.” Dean had been coming to visit every year for Christmas as he’d promised that first time, closing the shop for that two weeks since their dad had died eight years ago. 

“Somebody’s coming to visit?” Haley asked. 

“Hopefully. Your Uncle Dean is trying to get some time off work to come meet you,” Sam told him. 

“Is he nice?” she asked. 

“He’s very nice. Sometimes he seems a little grumpy, but he’s just playing. He’ll love you to pieces,” Gabriel told her. 

After dinner, and the promised cake, Gabriel suggested that they go watch a movie before bedtime. He had borrowed a few of her favorites from the hospital until they could go shopping tomorrow. He was sure she would find a lot of new favorites, but in the meantime, the more they could keep routine for her the better she would adjust, so he put on The Little Mermaid and she climbed up between him and Sam on the couch, and the three of them cuddled together as they watched the movie, Sam and Gabriel often stealing kisses over her head when she was entranced by different parts. 

Gabriel sang most of the songs with her, but Sam had to admit that he didn’t know them. Gabriel only knew them from all the kids watching the movies in the hospital himself, so it wasn’t surprising that Sam didn’t. Neither of them had any sisters, after all. And both of them had fathers that would have sooner shot themselves in the foot than let them watch a ‘girly movie’. 

When Dean arrived the next weekend, Sam yelled, “Around back!” since they were in the pool, so couldn’t get to the door. Dean hadn’t been sure what time he would be there, so they had just gone about their days as usual. It was getting close to lunchtime, and Gabriel was manning the grill, while Sam was in the pool with Haley, teaching her how to kick her legs as he held her up, moving her in circles around him. Dean came around and couldn’t help but smile at the picture of perfect domestic bliss. “Okay little-bit. Time to get out of the water,” Sam told her and she groaned. “Lunch is almost ready, and Uncle Dean came all this way to meet you,” he pointed out, and her head finally snapped up to look at the newcomer who gave her a little wave. 

Sam lifted her out of the pool before climbing out himself and wrapping a towel around her, and getting her sandals on so she wouldn’t slip on the poolside. No sooner than she was ready, she barreled off towards Dean, as fast her legs could take her, which admittedly wasn’t very fast yet, and wrapped him in a tight hug, getting him all wet in the process while Sam was biting his fist trying not to laugh at Dean’s predicament. “Hi Uncle Dean. I’m Haley! Daddy Gabe says you’re really nice but you like to play grumpy. Why do you play grumpy?” she asked quickly in the manner of all children repeating everything they hear, and Sam lost the battle with his laughter. 

Dean, seeing that he’d already lost the battle to stay dry anyway, bent down to pick her up. “I don’t play grumpy,” he grumbled. 

She got a fit of giggles, “You’re playing grumpy already,” she pointed out and Dean couldn’t actually think of anything to say to that so he didn’t say anything and instead changed the subject. “How do you like living with these yahoos? You need someone to save you yet?” he whispered conspiratorially and she giggled even more. 

“I love it here. It’s so awesome! You should see my room. It’s the bestest room in the whole world, and my playroom is the bestest playroom in the whole world. And Daddy Sam and Daddy Gabe are the bestest Daddy’s in the whole world,” she chattered excitedly. 

“And what about me? Am I the bestest uncle in the whole world?” Dean asked amusedly. 

“I don’t know yet. Did you bring me a present?” she asked seriously and Gabriel nearly busted a gut in laughter, and Sam wasn’t doing much better. 

“Of course, I did. What kind of Uncle would I be if I didn’t bring you a present?” he asked mock-hurt that she would even think so low of him. 

“Okay! Then you’re the bestest uncle in the whole world too!” she said giving him a hug.

“Wow, and you don’t even know what the present is yet,” Dean joked. 

“It doesn’t matter. You brought me a present and that means that you thought about me and that you love me and that’s all that matters,” she told him, and just like that she had Dean just as wrapped around her finger as she did her dads. 

It wasn’t until they went inside after lunch that she found out what the present was. “You got me a sweetie belle!” she cried in glee, and then Dean was the ‘double bestest uncle in the whole world’. Dean had been working on a rocking horse in his free time for years, intending to give it to his first niece or nephew since he had basically given up on ever having kids of his own, but he knew that Sam and Gabriel would be adopting eventually. As soon as Sam called him about Haley, he’d started painting it, which was the main reason it took him over a week to get here. He had painted it a light purple with the darker purple mane and tail and even done his best to get the little star and shield on her flank right after Gabriel had sent him a picture of Haley’s favorite pony when he asked. “How did you know she was my favorite?” 

“Your Daddy Gabe told me. And then he sent me a picture so I could get the colors right,” Dean told her, trying to give Gabriel his credit, but it didn’t work as he intended. 

“You MADE it? You didn’t buy it?” she asked wide-eyed and when Dean nodded, wondering if that would count against him, she squealed again. “That makes it even better!” she hugged the horse tightly around the neck. “You know why sweetie belle is my favorite?” she asked him. 

“Nope, can’t say that I do,” Dean told her.

“Daddy Gabe always called me sweetie from when I first got to the hospital, so sweetie belle always made me think of him,” she whispered, but not quietly enough, and Gabriel started to tear up. He always knew, deep down, that he made an impression on the kids in his care, but to hear it to such a degree, was a different story. Sam reached over and put his arm around Gabriel pulling him in and pressing a kiss to his temple. 

Haley spent most of the afternoon on her new rocking horse, while the men chatted around here, and to her when she interjected herself in the conversation, and after dinner, she turned to Dean. “Tonight is Frozen night. You’re gonna watch with us, right?” she asked hopefully. 

If Dean had tried to extricate himself from the girlie kids movie, the look on her face wouldn’t have let him anyway, so he just said, “Sure.” He even managed to refrain from making fun of Sam and Gabriel for singing along to all the songs until after Haley had gone to bed.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tissue warning. For this chapter and the next. You might just need a whole box.

Thankfully, Dean’s new guy worked out pretty well, so Dean started leaving the shop in his hands for two weeks every summer and spent that as well as the two weeks for Christmas and new years that the shop was closed, in Memphis with Sam, Gabriel, and Haley, and the next three years were bliss. Sam had gone back to work after the three months, but, as planned, did most of his work from home, only having to go in an average of once a week for hearings and then one morning a week to file paperwork. While he was gone, Haley stayed with a nanny who had a nursing degree. She had been very healthy since she came home from the hospital, but they still didn’t want to take any chances with her history. Gabriel hadn’t gone back to research yet, planning to wait until Haley was older so he could spend more time with her. 

It was just a few weeks before Christmas, almost three and a half years since she had come to live with Sam and Gabriel, when it happened. Gabriel was at work, and Sam was working downstairs on one of his tougher cases, when Haley came into the room stumbling a bit. “Daddy, I don’t feel so good,” she said swaying on her feet. Sam looked up and his heart dropped to his stomach when he saw the blood trickling from her nose and he reached over and scooped her up. There was only one place he was going. He quickly buckled her into the car and pulled out his cell phone before he even made it to the road, tires squealing. 

Gabriel heard his cell phone ring and looked down at it, a feeling of dread welling up in him when he saw Sam’s name on the caller ID. Sam never called his cell when he was at work. He usually left a message with the nurses station for Gabriel to call him when he got a chance because he didn’t want to interrupt if Gabriel was with a kid. Needless to say, Gabriel answered immediately, that feeling of dread only growing with every word from Sam’s mouth. He threw the cell phone on the counter, not even bothering to hang up as he called out, “I need a gurney and med team down to the main doors, stat!” not even waiting to see if he was obeyed before he was racing for the elevator, lab coat floating behind him. 

Sam had made the normally twenty-minute drive in less than ten and was carrying a barely conscious Haley in the doors as Gabriel got down there and immediately started looking her over, while bustling them over to the elevators just in time for the gurney to arrive. “I need a head CT, MRI, Angiogram, DTI, and full blood panel immediately,” Gabriel told them, as Sam laid her on the gurney before it even came out of the elevator, and Gabriel pressed the button for the right floor himself and kept pounding it even after the elevator stopped moving until Sam grabbed his hand to stop him. Gabriel’s reaction alone told him that his worst fears were being realized, and no words passed between them during the elevator trip that seemed to last forever. When Sam went to follow the gurney, Gabriel grabbed him and held him back. “You can’t go with for this. They’ll bring her down to the ward when they’re done. We’ll wait there, and I’ll pull the results the second they’re available.” Gabriel told him. 

“Gabriel…” Sam practically whimpered, as the elevator doors closed again. 

“I know, Samshine,” Gabriel said as he lost the battle with his own tears and Sam pulled him into a tight hug, as they both cried. At least until the elevator dinged again, and they quickly pulled themselves together, and Gabriel put his game face back on. Sam’s wasn’t nearly as good as Gabriel’s though. 

When they got to the nurse’s station, Gabriel giving Sam a seat there, not even thinking about sending him to the waiting room alone, and Gail, the head nurse looked at them sympathetically and asked, “Haley?” Sam nodded, feeling the tears welling up in his eyes again, as Gabriel turned to his computer refreshing the pages for the test results, despite knowing that they wouldn’t be in yet. “I’m sorry, honey,” she said putting a hand on each of Sam and Gabriel’s shoulders before leaning over Gabriel. “Maybe it would be better to go ahead and start her admission paperwork,” she suggested seeing Gabriel refreshing the page over and over. Normally she would do that, but she could see that he needed to do something. 

That didn’t take him long, since all her information was already in there, and shortly after he finished that, and was back to refreshing the test results, another nurse came up. “Dr. Gabe?” Even the nurses on this floor had taken to calling him that. When he turned to look at her, she said, “Timmy’s cough is getting worse, and the last one came up with some blood.”

Gabriel took a deep breath to center himself and said, “Right. I’ll be right there.” He had other kids to worry about and staring at this screen wasn’t going to get Haley’s results in any faster. Sam hadn’t said a word since the elevator, just sitting there and staring into space like he was so completely lost. Gabriel put a hand on Sam’s shoulder as he walked by and they locked eyes for a moment, before Gabriel nodded and headed to Timmy’s room. After he had looked him over, he ordered an upper GI and an ultrasound. He was pretty sure it wasn’t anything serious, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. When he got back to the desk, he was feeling a little more centered. At least he could help someone, even if it wasn’t his daughter right now. He ran a hand through Sam’s hair and when his husband looked up at him he asked, “Did you call your brother?” 

“No. Not yet. I wanted to wait until we know…something,” Sam told him, and Gabriel nodded. It was a valid reason for waiting, and it wouldn’t be more than a few hours until they would have something to tell him, though it would likely be a few days before they knew the full extent. “How bad is this, Gabe?” Sam asked heart-brokenly. 

“I don’t know yet, Sam,” Gabriel told him. 

“Guess?” 

“No. I couldn’t even begin to guess until we start getting results back, and I won’t make guesses in this case. I swear, you will know everything I know as soon as I know it,” Gabriel told him just as the computer dinged and he practically dove for it. Her blood draw was in the system. “I’ll be in my lab,” he said to both Sam and the nurses, practically running down the hall. His lab was designed for far more than a simple blood panel, but he wasn’t going to wait hours for the regular lab techs to get to it, so he’d had it sent straight up here. The blood arrived just after he did, and he immediately put a bit of it on a slide. 

Twenty minutes later he slumped back, taking a few deep breaths before he steeled himself to go give his husband the bad news. Sam jumped to his feet as soon as Gabriel came into view, feeling his breath hitch as soon as he saw the fear in his husband’s eyes. “There are cancer cells in her blood,” he said dully. 

“What does that mean?” Sam asked worriedly. 

“It means that she’s no longer in remission. How bad it is, I don’t know yet. That will take more tests, but something is back,” Gabriel told him. 

“No,” Sam said in denial as he plopped back down in the chair, his legs not able to hold him up anymore. 

“I think it’s time to call your brother,” Gabriel told him. 

“No. We should wait until…”

“No, Sam. Now. You can’t keep putting it off. I don’t know how bad this is, but with someone with Haley’s history…it’s definitely not good. Call him. Or I will,” Gabriel ordered. 

“Yeah. Okay,” Sam said as he pulled out his phone dialing the long familiar number. 

“Hey Sammy. What’s up. I was about to start closing up the shop…” Dean answered and stopped short as he heard the alarm going off, in the hospital.

‘Code blue room 547’ it said, and Sam asked Gabriel as he was rushing by, “Haley?”

“No, it’s not Haley. I’ll be back,” Gabriel said quickly as he rushed down the hall. 

“What’s wrong with Haley?” Dean asked in a near panic. 

“The cancer. It’s back. We don’t know how bad yet,” Sam managed to get out. 

“Ok. Everybody out!” Dean called to his employees, grabbing his key’s off the desk and tossing them to Billy. “You’re in charge, starting tomorrow.” He turned his attention back to the phone. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He told Sam even as he was getting in his car. “How is she? What happened?” 

“We don’t know yet. She just came into the room and she was swaying and her nose was bleeding and I rushed her here to the hospital and Gabe sent her for tests. All we know for sure right now is that there are signs of cancer in her blood,” Sam told him. 

“How are you? How’s Gabe?” Dean asked. 

“Gabe is…well…dealing. Keeping busy. Me…I’m not so sure,” Sam said honestly.


	25. Chapter 25

Gabriel returned almost half an hour later, looking very relieved, and Sam guessed they had saved the kid, but Sam knew better than to ask any more than that what with doctor/patient confidentiality and all. “Dean?” Gabriel asked. 

“He’s on his way. He’ll be here as soon as he can,” Sam told him. 

“Good,” Gabriel said with a nod. He was refusing to make any guesses to Sam, but his gut told him this was very very bad, and Dean needed to be here too. It was another two very tense hours before the rest of the test results were available and Gabriel dived right in even as they were bringing Haley back downstairs. Sam met her at the elevator, and Gabriel promised to be in as soon as he had any answers. 

“Daddy,” Haley said groggily as she reached for Sam’s hand as soon as she saw him, and Sam quickly took it even as they were moving down the hall. “I’m scared.”

“I know, baby. Me too,” he admitted. 

“Where’s Daddy Gabe?” she asked. 

“He’s checking on your tests and seeing how you’re doing. He’ll be in soon,” Sam promised her. 

“But you’re not going anywhere?” she asked in a very small voice. 

“No, baby. I’m staying right here,” Sam told her, leaning down to kiss her forehead as they were left alone in the room. 

 

Gabriel spent a good long time studying the images before he was sure of what he was seeing, and then another good long time trying to remember how to breathe before he got up out of the chair, all of his limbs feeling like lead as he trudged the steps to Haley’s room. As soon as Sam saw the dead look in Gabriel’s eyes, he knew that this was the end. He choked back his sob, trying not to wake the girl who had just fallen asleep. Gabriel jerked his head and Sam stepped over to the corner of the room where they could talk quietly but still be within eyesight of Haley. “It’s another brain tumor. In the frontal lobe,” Gabriel managed to get out. 

“But you can remove it right? Like you did the others?” 

“No, Sam. We can’t. Not from the frontal lobe. Even if she could survive it, she wouldn’t be the same little girl anymore. The frontal lobe is where the self is, for lack of a better term. It’s personality, impulse control, motor function, everything. Removing it isn’t an option,” Gabriel told him. 

“What then? Radiation? Chemo? What do we do?” Sam asked heart-brokenly. 

“First we have to find out what exactly it is. Meaning what kind of cancer cells it’s composed of. That will tell us if those things will have any effect. I’ll be scheduling her for a biopsy first thing in the morning,” Gabriel told him. 

“Why then? Why not now?” Sam asked, his panic starting to take over rational thought. 

“Because a biopsy requires an operating room, and an operating room takes time to get ready, and a full staff to run,” Gabriel told him. There were protocols for emergency surgery, but this wasn’t applicable, no matter how tempting it was to make the call and take the heat later. “Breathe, Sam,” Gabriel told him, despite the fact that only long practice had him not falling to pieces himself. “There’s still a chance. She’s gotten a miracle before, remember.”

“Just…save her. Please, Gabe,” Sam said as his tears began to fall fast and free. 

Gabriel pulled Sam into a tight hug, allowing his own tears to fall, dropping his masks, just for a few minutes. “You know I will do everything in my power to do so, Samshine,” Gabriel swore. “It’s almost time for my shift to end, so I’m going to go do my rounds really quick, but I’ll be back in a few minutes for the night,” he said wiping his tears, and replacing his masks for just a little longer. Then he could come back here and fall apart in his husband’s arms. At least until Haley woke up.

“Okay. Hurry back, Gabe. Please,” Sam begged. If there was one good thing about this it was that it was Friday, and barring any emergencies, Gabriel would be here for the next few days. 

Gabriel’s first stop was the nurse’s station as he put in for her biopsy, and when the nurse asked if he had a request for what doctor to perform it, he immediately said himself. “You can’t,” she told him, regretfully. “We can turn a blind eye to you treating your daughter here in the ward, but to perform a surgical procedure…”

Gabriel sighed heavily. He had known that. Of course, he had. He’d had to try though. “Okay. Dr. Anderson would be my first pick. If he says he’s not available, let me know. I have some favors I can call in and make him available.” She nodded and picked up the phone as Gabriel made his rounds.

When he returned to the desk an hour later to hand off his files to the next doctor coming in, Gail told him, “Dr. Anderson will be here at eight am to perform the procedure, and we will have operating room 9 ready for her by then.” She didn’t tell him that Dr. Anderson had to cancel a golf date with the governor to be here, but the man hadn’t even hesitated to do so. 

“What’s going on?” the relieving doctor asked, wondering why Gabriel was assigning a surgery to someone else, before he got a look at the top file in his hand. “Oh no. I’m so sorry, Gabe,” he told him sympathetically even as he skimmed over the notes. 

Gabriel just nodded and made his way back to Haley’s room, not sure how much longer he could keep his composure. At seeing that Haley was still sleeping, Gabriel immediately climbed in Sam’s lap and let his masks fall completely as the two men wept together. When the other doctor came in a few hours later, Gabriel pulled himself together as much as he could, and gently shook Haley awake, relived when she was able to wake up. “Daddy Gabe?” she asked sleepily. 

“I’m right here, sweetie,” Gabriel said softly. “You need to let Dr. Dan take a look at you for a minute and then you can go back to sleep.”

“Don’t leave me?” 

“I wouldn’t dream of it, sweetie,” he told her gripping her hand tightly as Dr. Dan stepped up to the bed to check her vitals, and make sure her IV was full. He clapped Sam and Gabriel on the shoulder as he left, knowing that he couldn’t tell them anything that Gabriel didn’t already know. It was hard enough talking to the parents who relied on you for information, but for one that already knows…he just didn’t know what to say, other than offer his support. 

“Sam’s brother will be here sometime tonight,” Gabriel told him, before he left. 

“I’ll make sure he finds his way here, and no one gives him a hard time about the two visitors rule,” Dan promised. 

“Thank you,” Gabriel told him. 

“Uncle Dean is coming?” she asked with a bit of a lift in her voice. 

“He sure is. He’s on his way now, and he’ll be here as soon as he can,” Sam told her. 

“Am I dying?” Haley asked softly. 

“Not if we have anything to say about it,” he told her firmly. He always walked a fine line with his patients. Giving them hope without telling them lies. This was the hardest one of all though. He had always known this was a possibility. From the second she went into remission this was always a possibility. He’d seen it happen more times than he could count. He had hoped though…she had been doing so well for so long.

“It’s okay if I do,” she said softly. “I got to live outside the hospital. I got to have dads that love me. I got to be happy. It’s okay,” she said as she drifted back off to sleep, and Gabriel choked out another sob as his knees buckled. Sam was there to catch him though, pulling him back to his lap, not in any better shape after her little speech. The beep beep beep of the heart monitor was the only comfort they had at the moment.


	26. Chapter 26

It was the middle of the night, not that Sam or Gabriel were even thinking about sleep at the moment, when Dean rushed into the room. “How is she?” he whispered as soon as he caught sight of them. 

Sam just buried his face in Gabriel’s shoulder so Gabriel was left to explain. “She has an inoperable brain tumor. She has a biopsy in a few hours that will tell us if it can be treated any other ways,” Gabriel told him. Dean didn’t even bother looking for a chair. He just leaned back against the wall and slumped to the floor, putting his head in his hands as the little girl he had come to love with all his heart lay fighting for her life against a monster no one could protect her from. 

The remainder of the night passed in silence only broken by the steady beeping of the heart monitor, and the occasional visits of Dr. Dan. This one was staying with him instead of the nurses, and Gabriel gave him an appreciative nod each time. During the first visit after Dean arrived, she opened her eyes enough to notice him. “Uncle Dean,” she smiled and reached out for him and he rushed to her side. 

“I’m here, munchkin,” Dean told her, running his free hand through her long brown hair as the other on clutched at hers. 

“I’m glad you came,” she said softly, as Dr. Dan checked her vitals. 

“I’ll always come when you need me,” Dean told her, blinking back his tears. 

“Love you, Uncle Dean,” she whispered. 

“I love you too, munchkin,” he whispered back as Dr. Dan finished with her and silently stepped out of the room and she quickly fell back asleep and the room lapsed into the familiar silence. 

Dr. Anderson showed up at seven thirty in the morning to personally take her down to surgery, and once again, Gabriel was grateful for the hands on care of the daughter of one of their own. “We’ll be down there for at least six hours. You should all get some sleep,” he said to the men in the room. 

“We’re okay,” Gabriel said quickly. 

“I’m sure you are, but how many times have you been on this side telling parents the same thing? If you don’t take care of yourselves, then you can’t take care of her. Don’t make me have you sedated,” he threatened. 

“Okay,” Gabriel said in defeat, knowing that he was right. Dr. Anderson just nodded at him and followed Haley out of the room. Gabriel pulled Sam over to the other bed in the room, despite it being too small for two, it would work for now. He couldn’t let Sam get far from him right now anyway. He was the only thing keeping him together. He had lost kids before, but this one was different. This one was his. That left Dean with the couch, and only the fact that they were all so exhausted they were running on fumes allowed them to get to sleep. 

Haley was still sedated when she got back to the room, so no one saw the point in waking the sleeping men. The next thing any of them knew they were woken up by the sound of soft giggles. “Haley!” Gabriel jumped out of bed, the most used to going from sleep to active at the drop of a hat, but the other two weren’t far behind him. 

“All three of you snore so funny,” she announced, just as the weekend doctor came in, having gotten the notification that Haley was awake, and she snorted in amusement. 

“She’s right about that,” the doctor said as she walked over to Haley. “And how are you feeling, little miss Haley?”

“Okay. Sleepy still,” Haley said as she was put through a barrage of tests, far more than were done overnight due to the fact that anyone half asleep would probably fail an eye test and a coordination test.

Haley waited until the doctor left before she turned and said, “Daddy Gabe?” 

“Yes sweetie?”

“The cancer is back, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah. It is,” Gabriel told her sadly. 

“Can you take it out again?” 

“I can’t. I’m sorry, sweetie,” Gabriel told her. 

“It’s worse this time, isn’t it,” she said, picking up on the mood in the room, and knowing that she was right when Dean walked out without a word. 

“We can still fight it. We’re not giving up yet,” Gabriel said firmly. 

“I know. You’ll never give up on me ‘cause you’re my Daddy,” she said with a smile. 

Sam turned away so she wouldn’t see his tears, but couldn’t bring himself to leave the room like Dean had. Not until Gabriel said, “You should go check on your brother.”

Sam nodded and slowly went out to find Dean pacing the hall, angrily wiping the tears from his face. “Dean,” Sam said walking over to him. 

Dean shrugged Sam’s hand off his shoulder. “I can’t do this, Sammy. I can’t just sit here and watch her…I can’t just do nothing!” 

“I know,” Sam told him, pulling him into a tight hug as he finally broke down. “I know.” Once Dean had pulled himself together, Sam decided to give him a job. “Why don’t you run to the house and get some things for her?” 

“Okay. I can do that,” Dean said perking up at the idea of doing something useful. “What should I get?” 

“Get her sketch book and colored pencils, her stuffed sweetie belle, and maybe bring her comforter from home. Go ahead and grab anything else you think she might like, just keep in mind that there’s not much space in the room,” Sam suggested. 

“Okay. I’ll be back later,” Dean told him, making for the elevators, and Sam headed back to Haley, finding Gabriel sitting on her bed reading to her and he went over and sat on the other side, putting an arm around them both. 

Dean returned an hour later with the requested items, plus a bag for Sam and Gabriel with changes of clothes, toiletries, and both of their laptops, as well as a few extra things to put a smile on Haley’s face. She brightened up considerably when he got back and happily took her sweetie belle plushie and gave it a big hug. “Thanks, Uncle Dean,” she chirped as Dean pulled her comforter over her. 

“Anytime, Munchkin,” he told her. “You two go shower and shave and stuff. I’ll stay with her,” Dean offered. The lecture from that morning was still ringing in their heads, so they didn’t argue. Gabriel headed for the doctor’s locker room while Sam used the bathroom in the room and they were both looking far more human when they got back half an hour later. 

Come Monday, Gabriel had made a decision about work. The kids here still counted on him and wouldn’t understand him not being there, but there was a lot of work that he did that had nothing to do with them, so he took Dr. Anderson up on his offer to cover. Gabriel still did the rounds and checked in on the kids, but Dr. Anderson did everything else, and none of them knew the difference. That kept Gabriel free to be with Haley most of the day, though occasionally a nurse would pop by when one of the kids was asking for him, and he never had the heart not to go. 

Dean made sure Haley was asleep before he mumbled something about how Gabriel should be worried about his kid, not the rest of them. Sam just shook his head. “He worries about her the most, but he will always worry about all the kids. That’s just who Gabriel is. He would worry about every kid in the world if he could, but those inside his sphere of influence will always be a part of him.”

It was Wednesday before they got the results back from the biopsy, and the grave face on Dr. Anderson when he came in to tell them, filled them all with dread. “It’s a glioblastoma,” he said, looking at Gabriel as he said it, knowing that he would know what that meant. 

“No…” Gabriel said in denial as his knees buckled, and his response alone was enough to tell Sam and Dean the worst.

Sam just caught Gabriel and held him tightly, as he continued looking at Dr. Anderson. Seeing that Gabriel was in no shape to explain, he steeled himself to do so. “A glioblastoma is the most aggressive type of brain cancer. IF it could be removed there would be a slim chance of treating the remainder with chemotherapy and radiation, but with it where it is…” he trailed off. This was why he had gone to strictly surgery and administration. He hated this part with a passion. 

Sam swallowed around the lump in his throat, trying to keep it together at least a little longer. “How long?” he asked. 

“A few weeks. Maybe a month,” he said regretfully. “You should have Christmas, but I can’t promise the new year.”

Dean, once again, stormed out of the room, only not slamming the door because Haley was sleeping, and Sam…Sam was just standing there in shock as he started to shake and silent tears poured down his cheeks. Dr. Anderson led them over to the chair and helped Sam to sit, and Sam instinctively pulled his sobbing husband into his lap. “I’ll take care of the kids today,” he said. “I’ll tell them Gabriel is sick or something.” Sam just managed to nod and he left them alone.


	27. Chapter 27

The next few weeks were the hardest of all of their lives. They managed to keep their brave faces on for Haley during the increasingly rare moments she was awake, but she quickly picked up on the fact that she was dying. The lack of medicine she was getting was enough to tell her that. She was still getting fluids and stuff for pain, but usually when she was in here she had at least five different medicines at any given time, usually more. All the kids here knew that when they stop giving you medicine it means you’re dying. She spent as much time as she could curled up in whichever lap was handy, trying to soak up as much as she could while she still could. 

The few hours she was awake on Christmas were as cheerful as they could manage as they gave her small gifts that she could keep in the hospital. A new sketchbook and color pencils, new stuffed animals, little trinkets, but none of them even bothered buying anything for each other. Dean often had to go take a walk, spending a lot of time punching things at the gym next door, even mild-mannered Sam had punched and kicked more than one wall, but not Gabriel. He cried often, but he always kept some level of control. Christmas day was the last straw though. After Haley had fallen asleep, Gabriel went out for a walk. The next thing Sam knew one of the nurses was coming in, asking him to come with her. Dean stayed with Haley, as Sam got his first look at the doctor’s locker room…or what was left of it as Gabriel went on a rampage. 

Dr. Anderson was there trying to talk him down but looked up gratefully when Sam came in. “If you can’t calm him down, I’m going to have to sedate him,” he said, looking rather frazzled, and Sam nodded, turning back to Gabriel just in time to see him pick up a bench and fling it at the row of lockers. 

He was just starting to pick up another bench when Sam called, “Gabe!” and started walking over, hands held wide in a calming gesture, before rushing over to catch him before he fell. 

“I can’t do this, Sam. I can’t do it. I can’t lose her. Not her,” Gabriel cried, hands fisting in Sam’s shirt as Sam fell to his knees on the floor cradling Gabriel in his lap. 

“Shh. It’s okay, Gabe. I got you,” Sam said soothingly, despite knowing that nothing was okay anymore. It wasn’t long before the adrenaline faded from Gabriel’s system and he was out like a light. Sam lifted him easily and carried him back to Haley’s room, laying him down on the other bed and climbing up next to him, holding him tightly. 

“Is he okay?” Dean asked. 

“Are any of us?” was Sam’s only response. 

It was late night on new year’s eve when she finally slipped away after three and a half weeks in the hospital. They made it through the funeral…somehow…despite the fact that her birth parents actually had the gall to show up. Thankfully, they stayed at the back and didn’t approach her ACTUAL family, and they didn’t even find out that they had been there until they were flipping through the guest book later. 

Dean stayed for another week after the funeral, before he just couldn’t stand to be there anymore. Not where everything reminded him of her. Gabriel had started to pack up her room, but Sam had thrown a fit, so he left it as it was, and they both threw themselves into their work to cope. Sam was often putting in sixteen to eighteen-hour days, even going in on weekends more often than not, and Gabriel was doing the same. He even started pulling back from the kids at the hospital, taking fewer shifts with them, and switching his track to research. It didn’t take long before they were barely even sharing a bed anymore, Gabriel often working long into the night and Sam leaving well before the crack of dawn. 

That went on for almost a year, and then it was Dean who snapped them out of it. He hadn’t been able to stomach his summer visit this year, but he still showed up at the usual time for the Christmas visit, having communicated back and forth with Sam to arrange it. His first clue that something was wrong was when Gabriel seemed surprised to him. It didn’t take him more than a few days before he figured out the full scope of the problem and in typical Dean fashion, took a sledgehammer to a roofing nail. He stayed up all night, waiting for one of the rare moments when they were both home, and so as not to have any escapees, even waited until Gabriel went and collapsed into bed at two in the morning, about an hour before Sam usually got up these days. He stormed into the room, slamming the door open, and snapping both of them awake. “Good. Now that I have your attention…”

“What the hell, Dean!” Sam snapped. 

“Shut up,” Dean snapped back. “Both of you,” he said when Gabriel opened his mouth to say something. Once they were both silent…glaring, but silent, he began what he came up here to say. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to yourselves? To each other? I’ve been here almost a week and I’ve yet to see you two even in the same room. You’re never even home, for crying out loud!”

“We’re busy. It’s called jobs,” Gabriel said derisively. 

“Can it, pipsqueak,” Dean said harshly. “Back when you two started dating, I let it go because you proved that you would fight for each other. I could see that you had the potential to be good for each other, and you’re throwing it all away. Yes, we lost Haley, but that’s no reason to throw everything else away too. Gabriel, look at Sam. Really look at him.”

Gabriel did so, and was taken aback to see the dark circles under his eyes and the sunken cheekbones. He had lost so much weight. When had that happened? Sam looked at Gabriel too, without prompting and noticed the same thing. He looked just as bad and it was like the wool was removed from his eyes. How had he let this happen? “Sammy,” Gabriel said apologetically as he reached out a hand to Sam’s cheek, and Sam instinctively leaned into it. It had been so long since he had felt Gabriel’s touch. 

“Good,” Dean said with a nod, seeing that they finally got it. “Now both of you are taking at least two week’s vacation and you’re going to work this out,” he said with a nod before reaching over and turning off Sam’s alarm and leaving the room before he risked seeing something he didn’t want to. 

“I’m so sorry, Gabe,” Sam said starting to reach out to him before pulling back, and that action alone told him that things were far worse than he thought. Since when did he feel uncomfortable reaching out to his husband? He reached out again, and this time forced himself to follow through, pulling Gabriel close to him. 

“I’m sorry too, Sam,” Gabriel said, settling into what was once a comfortable position, but seemed so foreign now. “I’m sorry,” he said as tears sprung to his eyes. “What are we going to do?” he asked worriedly, not sure if they even COULD fix this now. 

“First, we’re going to get some much needed sleep. Right here, like this. Then in the morning…or afternoon, whenever we wake up, we’ll talk,” Sam said pulling Gabriel tighter against him, hating how he could feel his ribs. 

“I…I love you, Sam,” Gabriel said, stumbling over the words almost as badly as he had the first time he had said it more than fifteen years ago. 

“I love you too, Gabriel,” Sam whispered. “The rest we can fix.”

“I hope so,” Gabriel whispered, as much to himself as to Sam, as they drifted off to sleep. 

It was nearly noon when Sam woke up first, Gabriel still wrapped in his arms, and he felt a peace that he hadn’t felt in so long that it took him a moment to realize what it was. Unfortunately, that peace was interrupted by a rather urgent need to pee. He struggled for a moment with the idea of letting Gabriel go, before he no longer had a choice and he eased himself out of bed, trying not to wake Gabriel as he did and rushed to the bathroom. 

Nearly as soon as he was gone though, Gabriel woke up from a nightmare in which Sam had left him, and he sat straight up in bed with a cry of, “Sam!”

“Just a second,” Sam called from the bathroom, not able to see or hear Gabriel’s sigh of relief, therefore, he was quite surprised to be attacked by a blonde missile the second he stepped out of the bathroom as Gabriel hugged him tightly. 

“I’m sorry, Sam. I’m so so sorry,” Gabriel said, still trying to shake off the fear and loneliness of the dream. 

Sam held him tightly, seeing that something had shaken him badly, and leaned his head on Gabriel’s. “I know, Gabe. So am I,” he said softly. “We’re going to fix this, though. We’re going to fix US. Because I’m not giving up on you. No matter what.”

“Please don’t,” Gabriel practically whimpered.


	28. Chapter 28

“I think we could both do with a good meal while we start figuring things out,” Sam suggested, once again being reminded of the fact that he could feel Gabriel’s ribs against his own. 

“Yeah. Okay,” Gabriel said, not able to bring himself to let go of Sam just yet.

Sam realized there was more going on here than he knew, so he tabled the idea of a meal for the moment, as he said, “What’s wrong, Gabe?” 

“Sorry. It’s stupid,” Gabriel said finally letting go and stepping back. 

Sam wouldn’t let him go far though. Not when he was like this. “Talk to me, Gabe. Please,” he said holding his husband’s hands. 

“It was just a stupid dream,” Gabriel said sheepishly, looking at the floor. 

“About what?” Sam asked releasing one of Gabriel’s hands to hook a finger under his chin and force him to look up at him. 

“You left me, and I was alone, and I had nothing and no one, and it was just…” Gabriel felt his eyes filling with tears. 

Sam leaned forward and kissed Gabriel for the first time in almost a year, and it was like coming home again. Despite his assurances before, he hadn’t been sure they could fix this until that moment. He knew as soon as their lips met that he would still fight for this man until his last breath. It was short and sweet and neither moved to deepen it and when Sam pulled back, he rested his forehead against Gabriel’s. “I’m not leaving you, Gabe, and I won’t let you be alone again. I promise.”

Gabriel couldn’t stop the hopeful smile from flitting over his face. He, too, had felt the connection when they kissed, and it gave him the same determination to fix this if it was the last thing he did. Yes, they had lost their little girl, but they still had each other, and he would lose Sam over his dead body. They stood there like that for a long moment, neither speaking, before Gabriel said, “You mentioned something about food?” 

Sam couldn’t help the chuckle that pulled from him at that. “Yeah. Food. Come on,” Sam said, threading their fingers together as they headed downstairs. When they got downstairs, Dean was sitting on the couch, watching television, and eating a sandwich. He took one look at their joined hands and gave a satisfied nod, as he got up to head out to the pool and give them some privacy. “Dean?” Sam called before he got far, and Dean turned to look at him. “Thank you,” Sam said with just as much feeling as he could muster. 

“Ditto from me,” Gabriel added. Dean, his mouth full, just raised his remaining half sandwich in salute as he headed outside. Neither of them felt much up to cooking, so they just pulled out some of the more recent takeout leftovers from the fridge and heated them up. Once they were sitting down eating, Gabriel said something that he really hoped wouldn’t undo all the progress they’d made. “I need to go into the hospital today. Just for a little while,” he added quickly. “I have a few experiments in progress that I need to either scrap, put on hold, or arrange for someone to watch while we have a little vacation.”

“Yeah, okay,” Sam nodded. “I was in the middle of a couple cases myself that I need to wrap up before handing off the rest of my caseload. How about after we eat, we go take care of what we need to do, and we meet back here no later than dinnertime,” Sam suggested. 

“That works,” Gabriel said with a relieved sigh, glad that hadn’t blown up on him. Then again, they hadn’t told Dean yet, so it still might. By the time they had eaten their fill, he had decided on a course of action though. He got up and walked over to Sam’s side of the table and leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to his lips, before saying, “I’ll leave you to tell your brother,” and darting out of the room. 

Sam just shook his head, and called out, “Ass!” laughing as he did so before he went to find Dean. 

“Where’s the pipsqueak?” Dean asked raising an eyebrow at Sam being alone again. 

“He ran to the hospital for a bit,” Sam told him. “And I’m going into the office for a while too.”

“Sam…” Dean said wearily. 

“It’s okay, Dean. We heard you, and we are taking a vacation. We’re going to fix us, but we both have things ongoing that are bigger than us that we have to wrap up and hand off. We’ll both be back by dinner.”

“You better be or I’m hunting you both down,” Dean told him with a glare. He supposed their jobs weren’t the type you could just leave at the drop of a hat like an engine, but his point still stood. 

“We will be. I promise. Thank you, Dean,” Sam said again. 

“Just fix this, and that’s all the thanks I need,” Dean told him. He needed them to be happy and whole. Sam was all he had. Sam and Gabriel really. That and the shop, but before everything happened with Haley he had been considering selling it and moving out here. He had nothing left in Kansas anymore since Dad died. It was only his stubborn determination and unwillingness to change that kept him there so long. Maybe it was time to start considering the idea again. 

True to their words, Sam and Gabriel were both back well before dinner, and they had similar stories. They both had a month off instead of the two weeks they had intended. Both of their bosses had been increasingly worried about them and pointed out that they’d put in enough work for two years in the last one. It was better to give them more time off to rest and recuperate than have to replace them when they burn out.

Dean had cooked up a big dinner, and had it waiting for them when they got home and he sat down to eat with them before disappearing to give them time to talk. They both knew what the root of their problem was, and Gabriel had an idea that could help them move past it together rather than running away from it separately. “We should pack up Haley’s room,” he suggested hesitantly, despite having his head bit off the last time he suggested it. 

Sam closed his eyes against the wash of pain, as he nodded. “Yeah. We should,” he admitted, knowing that he had been rather unreasonable about it before. It took them almost a week, a lot of tears, and some laughter as they reminisced, but then all that was left was the My Little Pony wallpaper and the pink furniture. “Should we repaint do you think?” Sam asked ignoring the pang that idea sent through him. 

“No. I think this is good enough. If we ever need these rooms again, we can consider it, but for now, it’s good,” Gabriel said looking around the empty pink space. 

“You know, I bet if she’s been looking down on us, she’s been pretty annoyed,” Sam said with a twitch of his lips. 

Gabriel chuckled. “Yeah. Probably. You remember how she used to stamp her foot and scrunch up her nose when she thought we were being particularly dumb?” That set off a long chain of reminiscences that lasted right up until dinnertime, neither of them moving from her room, until Dean called them down for dinner. 

Sam sighed sadly, before leading his husband out of the room, closing the door behind him, hesitating for a moment before taking the plaque down and putting it on top of the nearest box. “Goodbye, Haley. We love you. We’ll always miss you.”

Gabriel just nodded around the lump in his throat and placed his hand on the door, saying his own silent farewell before they headed downstairs. As they came down their jaws dropped at all the decorations and they made their way to the dining room, which was also all done up. “What did you do?” Sam asked Dean in awe. 

“You two do realize that tomorrow is Christmas, right? You really think Haley would ever forgive me for letting you guys miss it?” Dean asked with a grin. He knew what they had been doing upstairs, and hoped that they had processed enough of their grief that he could talk about her now. 

“No. Probably not,” Gabriel said with a teary chuckle. “Speaking of, I need to go out for a while after dinner. 

“Me too,” Sam said, and Dean just rolled his eyes. Like they could get any more obvious. They had forgotten it was Christmas and had to go shopping. 

“Well if you’re looking for presents for me, something to furnish a new house would be nice,” he suggested. 

“Do what? You’re moving?” Sam asked, shocked. He’d lived his whole life in the house they’d grown up in and the shop was right next to it. “Where to?” 

“Little place you might have heard of. Memphis,” Dean said with a smirk. 

“You’re moving here?” Sam asked wide-eyed. 

“Well, you two obviously can’t function without me around to keep an eye on you,” he teased. 

“What about the house and the shop? When are you moving? Do you have a place yet?” Sam asked. 

“I’m selling them, not sure yet, and no. I just decided this week, so I need to get the ball rolling on everything once I get home. I figure I should be out here by summer, if not before,” Dean told them. 

“It’ll be great having you close by,” Gabriel chimed in, already deciding what he was buying Dean for Christmas and when Sam shot him a look, he knew that his husband was in complete agreement. 

When Christmas morning came, and gifts were being handed out, Sam told Dean, “Your present from us isn’t ready yet, but you can see it before you leave, and it’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”

“Okay. That works,” Dean told them, figuring they got him some kind of furniture or something, and getting that stuff delivered last minute on Christmas was never going to happen, so had expected nothing less. He definitely didn’t expect to be shown into a fully furnished house a few days later. “What the hell is this?” 

“Your house,” Gabriel said with a smirk. It was in a much less affluent neighborhood than their own, since they didn’t want to go overboard, but it was far from a slum. It was very much a white picket fence kind of place, and bigger than the house Dean was coming from. 

“You bought me a…You didn’t…but…” Dean stammered. 

Sam and Gabriel laughed. “I think you broke him,” Sam told Gabriel. 

“Me? You’re the one who picked the house,” Gabriel said amusedly. 

“But you had the idea first,” Sam teased. 

“We had the idea at the same time,” Gabriel protested. 

“Why would you buy me a whole freaking house?!” Dean yelled suddenly. 

“Two reasons. For Christmas, yes, but also for reminding us what’s important,” Gabriel told him, putting his arm around Sam to emphasize what he meant. 

When they got back to work a few weeks later, Gabriel came home very excited. “You know how I mentioned the experiments I had running?” he asked Sam. 

“Yeah,” Sam said expectantly. 

“Well one of them had very promising results,” Gabriel said with a grin. 

“How promising?” Sam asked. 

“Major breakthrough promising. It’s too soon to say for sure, but it might just lead to a cure,” Gabriel said bouncing on his heels in his excitement. 

“A cure for what, exactly?” Sam asked breathlessly. Gabriel couldn’t possibly mean what he thought he meant. 

“Cancer. All cancer,” Gabriel said with a grin that turned into a full blown laugh as Sam picked him up and swung him around with a cheer.


	29. Chapter 29

Ten Years Later: 

Gabriel and Sam once again had to dodge the reporters just to get into their house, and they were getting rather frustrated. He got that he’d done a great thing, but really. They could let people live their lives in peace. He had given more interviews than he could count already, but they were still after blood. No sooner than they entered the house, the phone rang and Gabriel went to answer it. “Gabriel?” the voice on the other end of the line said. 

“Who’s this?” he asked suspiciously. Usually the leeches called him Dr. Winchester, or if they were being extra formal, Dr. Shurley-Winchester, not that he used Shurley much anymore. In fact, he’d wanted to drop it from his name altogether, but Sam convinced him to keep it, even if he never used it. 

“Michael,” the voice said softly, and Gabriel hung up without a second thought. 

“Who was that?” Sam asked worriedly, seeing the ashen look on his husband’s face. 

“Michael,” Gabriel said in a mono-tone. 

“Your brother Michael?” Sam asked incredulously and Gabriel nodded just as the phone rang again. 

Sam grabbed it from Gabriel’s hand and answered long enough to say, “You have a lot of nerve calling him like this after all these years. After what you did to him.”

“I’m sorry,” Michael said. 

“Well there’s a such a thing as too little too late,” Sam snapped, getting ready to hang up again. 

“Wait,” Michael said, and something in his voice stopped Sam from hanging up just yet. 

“What?” Sam asked, putting the phone on speaker when Gabriel motioned for him to. 

“I know that I’m sorry will never make up for everything that happened. I have no excuse beyond just thinking the way my father told me to think. Just…tell Gabriel thank you. My grand-daughter…she’s seven…she has leukemia. They gave her less than a year to live until Gabriel’s cure. Just tell him thank you for me,” Michael said softly.

Sam looked at Gabriel who shook his head, so he said, “I’ll tell him,” and hung up. He pretended not to notice Gabriel making note of the number on the caller id, as he went to make dinner. 

It was almost an hour later when Dean came barreling in the door as if running away from something. “I swear, it’s almost a hazard to have the last name Winchester in this town these days,” Dean said tiredly, plopping down on the couch. 

“They might not have pegged you so fast if you weren’t over here mooching our food all the time,” Gabriel teased, seeing that Dean had, as usual, arrived just in time for dinner. After dinner, Gabriel made an excuse to go ‘look over some research’ in his office and disappeared. 

“Is he working himself to death again?” Dean asked worriedly, not having seen him disappear that quickly in a long time. 

“No. He’s going to call his brother,” Sam dropped the bombshell. 

“Waitwhat?!” Dean asked incredulously. 

“Yep. His oldest brother, Michael, called earlier. Really threw him for a loop. Apologizing and all that. Apparently his seven-year-old granddaughter’s life is going to be saved by Gabriel’s cure,” Sam told him. 

“And we’re buying the whole buddy buddy thing? After everything?” Dean asked distastefully. 

“You know, I could almost forgive him for everything he did to Gabriel back then. He was so young and just following his father’s will, but not reaching out for almost thirty years? And then not until Gabriel goes and gets famous? Nope. Not buying it for a second. And I guarantee you neither is Gabriel. If I know him, he’s going to check up on Michael’s granddaughter and then give him a piece of his mind.”

“Still taking all the world’s children on his shoulders, I see,” Dean said with a chuckle. 

“It’s just who he is,” Sam replied. 

 

Up in his office, Gabriel picked up the phone and it took him five tries before he dialed the number without aborting halfway through, but finally he managed it and it was answered on the second ring, before Gabriel could chicken out again. “Gabriel?” Michael asked as he picked up the phone. 

“How’s your granddaughter?” Gabriel asked. 

“She’s doing okay. She has hope now, which is something we had lost a long time ago,” Michael said sadly. “I’m sorry, Gabriel.”

“No. I don’t want to hear it. I’m not calling to talk about us. You threw me away…nearly killed me…and now you want back in when I get famous? Not gonna happen. I’m calling about the kid, and that’s it. Mostly I just need to know if she will make it the month it takes to get distribution started on this cure,” Gabriel asked. 

“Her doctors are hopeful,” Michael said. 

Gabriel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew what that meant. He’d used that line himself more times than he could count. It meant, maybe, with any luck, but we aren’t sure. No matter what else had happened, that girl was family. She wasn’t to blame for the sins of her parents, or grandparents in this case. “Who’s her primary doctor?” 

“Dr. Monroe at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston,” Michael told him. “Why?” 

“I know Dr. Monroe. I’ll have him overnighted a few doses of the cure that I have on hand for her and any other kids there who might not make it. What’s her name?” 

“Lilian,” Michael told him.

“Shurley?” he asked. 

“Yes.”

“Ok. I’ll take care of it first thing in the morning,” Gabriel told him. “Goodbye, Michael.”

“Gabriel,” Michael called and when he didn’t hear a click or a response, he just said, “I can never thank you enough for this.”

“I know,” Gabriel said as he hung up the phone, taking a few deep breaths to center himself before he called his hospital to have them send out the little bit he had on hand in the morning, and then calling Dr. Monroe to let him know it was coming and to make sure one of the doses went to his niece.

 

A few weeks later:

Gabriel sat in the audience waiting for his turn to give his Nobel acceptance speech, Sam by his side as he always was. After that initial breakthrough, Gabriel had dived headfirst into his research, but not so much that he forgot what was really important. Not usually anyway. Dean was always around to beat him upside the head whenever he started to. It had been a long ten years, but it was finally here. He had done it. He had taken a long time to write this speech that would be broadcast around the world, but he finally found the right words to say what he needed to say. Sam gave his hand a squeeze as he was called up to the podium. 

Gabriel cleared his throat and began to speak. “Fourteen years ago, a little girl named Haley, who’d had a series of brain tumors, went into remission, but she had no one. No parents, no home to go home to when she was released from the hospital. My husband and I adopted her and she was the light of our lives. She was our hope. Our whole world.” He paused to take a deep breath and blink back his tears. He had practiced this extensively just for this reason. “Eleven years ago, she relapsed. This time there was nothing that could be done, and she passed less than a month later. I threw myself into my research to cope with the loss, determined that no other parent should ever have to suffer what we did, and now it’s here. I have gotten so many thanks for this cure, so many accolades, but I’m here now to say that the only thanks I want or need is that this cure be called Haley’s Hope and it be offered free of charge to anyone who needs it.” He paused as a collective roar rolled across the room, but his eyes met Sam’s eyes glistening with tears of pride. “My husband and I set aside 30 million dollars in a fund that will create and distribute this cure. Any prize money gained from it will be added to the fund, and it will be open for donations from anyone else who wants to contribute. No one will ever have to die of cancer again. No parent will have to lose their child like we lost our Haley. This cure is HER legacy, not mine. Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well this second part got a lot bigger than I intended. If I had realized it was going to blow up that much I would have made it a sequel, so I'll probably go back and do that at some point and split this one up into two separate stories.


End file.
